IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Sciences 
Corporaim 


23  WEST  MAIN  STRUT 

WiBSTIR.N.Y.  USSO 

(716)872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


n 


D 


D 
D 
D 
D 
D 

D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommag^e 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur6e  et/ou  pelliculde 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  notre) 


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along  interior  margin/ 

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appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
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II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutdes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  filmies. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm6  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique.  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  uri<9 
modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filrrisge 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


□   Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 


D 
D 
0 
D 
0 


D 


Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pellicul6es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  ddcolor^es,  tachetdes  ou  piqudes 

Pages  detached/ 
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Showthrough/ 
Transparence 


I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  indgale  de  I'impression 

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Comprend  du  materiel  suppl^mentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  filmdes  d  nouveau  de  fapon  d 
obtenir  la  rfieilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film6  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous 

10X                            14X                            18X                            22X 

26X 

30X 

i 

y 

12X 

16X 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 

Tha  copy  fllmad  hmn  hat  baan  raproducad  thank* 
to  tha  gaivsroaity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Tha  imagaa  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
poatibia  contldaring  tha  condition  and  iagiblllty 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  apacifications. 


Original  copiat  in  printad  jiapar  covars  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion.  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illustratad  imprassion. 


Tha  last  racordad  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  — ^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"). 
whichever  applies. 

IMaps.  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'examplaira  film*  f ut  reproduit  grice  A  la 
gAnArosIt*  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Lea  images  suivantes  ont  *tA  raproduitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soln.  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattet*  de  i'exemplaire  filmA.  et  en 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  de 
fiimaga. 

Les  exemplairas  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  ImprimAe  sont  filmAs  en  commenpant 
par  U  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darnlAre  paga  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exempiaires 
originaux  sont  fiimte  en  commenfant  par  la 
premiAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
darniAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  -^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartas,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  Atre 
film6s  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diff«rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich*.  il  est  film*  a  partir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droito, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  la  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


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2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

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NARRATIVE'  OF  A  JOURNEY 


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TO  IpE  SHOIIKS  OF 


THE    POLAR    SEA, 


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IN  THE  YEARS 


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BY 


JOHN  FRANKLIN,  Captain  R.N.,  F.R.S., 

AHD  COMMAirilER  OF  THE  SXPEDITIOK. 


WITH  AN  APPENDIX  CONTAINING  GEOGNOSTICAL  OBSERVA- 
TIONS, AND  REMARKS  ON  THE  AURORA  BOREALIS. 

ILLUSTUATKD    BY    A    FRONTISPIECE    AN1>    MAP. 


PUBLISHED  Br  AUTHOKlTr  OF  THE  HT.  HON.,THli  EARL  BATHURST. 


I'UILJtDELPnU 


H.  O.  CAREY  &    I.  LEA,    A.  SMALL,    EDWARD    PARKER,    m'CARTY  Sc 
DAVIS,    B.  &  T.  KITE,  THOMAS  DESILVFR,  AND  E.  UTTELL. 

1824.  % 


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TO 


THE  RIGHT  HONOURABLE 

THE   E\RL  BVTHUIIsr,  K.  G., 

OA'E  OF  HIS  MAJESTY'S  PRLXCIPJIL  SECRETARIES  OF 

STATE, 

SfC.  SfC.  SfC. 
THE  FOLLOWING 

NARRATIVE  OF  A  JOURNEY  OF  DISCOVERY  TO  THE 
NORTHERN  COAST  OF  AMERICA, 

UNDERTAKEN  BY  ORDER  AND  UNDER  THE  AUSri^ES 

OF  HIS  LORDSHIP, 

IS,  BY  PERMF.SION,  INSCRIBED, 
WITH  GREAT  RESPECT  AND  GRATITUDE, 


BY 


THE  AUTHOR. 


'v- 


203042 


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,t'A'. 


.fe- 


# 


Mr. 


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CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Page 


Departure  from  England — Transactions  at  Stromness— Enter  Davis' 
Straits — Perilous  Situation  on  the  Shore  of  Resolution  Island — Land 
on  the  Coast  of  Labrador — Esquimaux  of  Savage  Islands — York  Fac- 
tory— Preparations  for  the  Journey  into  the  Interior  -  -        1 

CHAPTER  IL 

I'assage  up  Haves',  Steel,  and  Hill  Rivers — Cross  Swampy  Lake — Jack 
River — Knee  Lake  and  Magnetic  Islet — Trout  River — Holey  Lake 
— Weepinapannis  River — Windy  Lake — White-Fall  Lake  and  River 
— Echemamis  and  Sea  Rivers — Play-Green  Lake — Lake  Winipeg 
— River  Saskatchawan — Cross  Cedar  and  Fine-Island  Lakes — Cum- 
berland-House .......      24 

CHAPTER  m. 

Dr.  Richardson's  Residence  at  Cumberland-House — His  Account  of  the 

Cree  Indians  -  -  -  -  -  -  -      53 

CHAPTER  IV. 

f.eave  Cumberland-House — Mode  of  Travelling  in  Winter — Arrival  al 
Carlton-House — Stone  Indians — Visit  to  a  Buffalo  Pound — Goitres 
— Departure  from  Carlton-House — Isle  a  la  Crosse — Arrival  at  Fort 
Chipewyan     -  -  -  -  -  •  -  -      84 

CHAPTER  V. 

'transactions  at  Fort  Chipewyan — Arrival  of  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr. 

Hood — Preparations  for  our  Journey  to  the  Northward       -  12r 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Mr.  Hood's  Journey  to  the  Basquian  Hills — Sojourns  with  an  Indian 

Party — His  Journey  to  Chipewyan    -  -  -  -  -    150 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Departure  from  Chipewyan— Difficulties  of  the  various  Navigations  of 
the  Rivers  and  Lakes,  and  of  the  Portages — Slave  Lake  and  ForJ 


V 


VI 


CONTKNTS. 


iv* 


.' 


( 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Navigation  of  the  Polar  Sea,  in  two  Canoes,  as  far  as  Cape  Turnagain,  to 
the  Eastward,  a  distance  exceeding  Five  Hundred  and  Fifty  Miles 
— Observations  on  the  probability  of  a  North-West  Passage 

CHAPTER  Xn. 

Journey  across  the  barren  grounds — Difficulty  and  delay  in  crossing  Cop- 
per-Mine River — Melancholy  and  fatal  Results  thereof— Extreme 
Misery  of  tl)e  whole  Party — Murder  of  Mr.  Hood — Death  of  seve- 
ral of  the  Canadians — Desolate  State  of  Fort  Enterprize — Distress 
suffered  at  that  Place — Dr.  Richardson's  NaiTative — Mr.  Back's  Nar- 
rative-:—Conclusion     -.-..-- 

APPENDIX. 

Geognostical  Observations,  by  Dr.  Richardson     - 
General  Remarks  on  the  Aurora  Borealis 


PtKe 

Providence — Scarcity  of  Provisions,  and  discontent  of  the  Canadian 
Voyagers — Difficulties  with  regard  to  the  Indian  (luidcs — »*Lf»isal 
to  proceed — Visit  of  Observation  to  the  Upper  part  of  Copper-Mine 
River — Return  to  the  Winter  Quarters  of  Fort  Enterprize  -     174 

CHAP'ER  Vni. 

Transactions  at  Fort  Enterprize— Mr  Back's  Narrative  of  his  Journey  to 

Chipewyan  and  Return  ......     214 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Continuation  of  Proceedings  at  Fort  Enterprize — Some  account  of  Cop- 
per Indians — Preparations  for  the  Journey  to  the  Northward  -     257 

CHAPI'ER  X, 

Departure  from  Fori  Knterpvi/c — Navigation  of  the  Copper-Mine  River     .. 
— Visit  to  the  Copp'.T  Mountain — Interview  with  the  Esquimaux — 
Departure  of  the  Indian  Hunters — Arrangements  made  with  them 
for  our  return  ...... 


28: 


324 


350 


445 
981 


INTRODUCTION. 


His  Majesty's  Government  having  determined  upon  send- 
ing an  Expedition  from  the  Shores  of  Hudson's  Bay  by 
land,  to  explore  the  Nothern  Coast  of  America,  from  the 
Mouth  of  the  Copper-Mine  River  to  the  eastward,  I  had 
the  honour  to  be  appointed  to  this  service  by  Earl  Ba- 
thurst,on  the  recommendation  of  the  Lords  Commissioners 
of  the  Admiralty ;  who,  at  the  same  time,  nominated  Doc- 
tor John  Richardson,  a  surgeon  in  the  Royal  Navy,  Mr. 
George  Back,  and  Mr.  Robert  Hood,  two  Admiralty  Mid- 
shipmen, to  be  joined  with  me  in  the  Expedition.  My 
instructions  in  substance  informed  me,  that  the  main  ob- 
ject of  the  Expedition  was  that  of  determining  the  latitudes 
and  longitudes  of  the  Nothern  Coast  of  North  America, 
and  the  trending  of  that  Coast  from  the  Mouth  of  the  Cop- 
per-Mine River  to  the  eastern  extremity  of  that  continent; 
that  it  was  left  for  me  to  determine,  according  to  circum- 
stances, whether  it  might  be  most  advisable  to  proceed,  at 
once,  directly  to  the  northward  till  I  arrived  at  the  sea-coast, 
and  proceed  westerly  towards  the  Copper-Mine  River;  or 
advance,  in  the  first  instance,  by  the  usual  route  to  the 
Mouth  of  the  Copper-Mine  River,  and  from  thence  eas- 
terly till  1  should  arrive  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  that 
Continent;  that,  in  the  adoption  of  either  of  these  plans, 
I  was  to  be  guided  by  the  advice  and  information  which 
I  should  receive  from  the  wintering  servants  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  who  would  be  instructed  by  their  em- 


(  r, 


vui 


INTRODUCTION. 


ployers  to  co-operate  cordially  in  the  prosecution  of  the 
objects  of  the  Expedition,  and  who  would  provide  mc  with 
the  necossciry  escort  of  Indians  to  act  as  guides,  interpre- 
ters, game-killers,  &c.;  and  also  with  such  articles  ofclolh- 
ing,  ammunition,  snow-shoes,  presents,  &,c.,  as  should  be 
deemed  expedient  for  me  to  take.  That  as  another  prin- 
cipal object  of  the  Expedition  was  to  amend  the  very  de- 
fective geography  of  the  nothern  part  of  Morth  America, 
[  was  to  be  very  careful  to  ascertain  correctly  the  latitude 
and  longitude  of  every  remarkable  spot  upon  our  route, 
and  of  all  the  bays,  harbours,  rivers,  headlands,  &,c.,  that 
might  occur  along  the  Northern  Shore  of  North  .*merica. 
That,  in  proceeding  along  the  coast,  I  should  erect  con- 
spicuous marks  at  places  where  ships  might  enter,  or  to 
which  a  boat  could  be  sent;  and  to  deposit  information 
as  to  the  nature  of  the  coast  for  the  use  of  Lieutenant 
Parry.  That,  in  the  Journal  of  our  route,  I  should  regis- 
ter the  temperature  of  the  air,  at  least  three  times  in  every 
twenty-four  hours;  together  with  the  state  of  the  wind  and 
weather,  and  any  other  meteorological  phenomenon.  That 
I  should  not  neglect  any  opportunity  of  observing  and 
noting  down  the  dip  and  variation  of  the  magnetic  needle, 
and  the  intensity  of  the  magnetic  force;  and  should  take 
particular  notice  whether  any,  and  what  kind  or  degree 
of,  influence  the  Aurora  Borealis  might  appear  to  exert 
on  the  magnetic  needle;  and  to  notice  whether  that  phe- 
nomenon was  attended  with  any  noise;  and  to  make  any 
other  observations  that  might  be  likely  to  tend  to  the  fur- 
ther developement  of  its  cause,  and  the  laws  by  which  it 
is  governed. 

Mr.  Back  and  Mr.  Flood  were  to  assist  me  in  all  the 
observations  above-mentioned,  and  to  make  drawings  of 


KNTRODl^CTION. 


IX 


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the  land,  of  the  natives,  and  of  the  various  objrcts  of  ir.i- 
Inral  hisloi} ;  aiul  particularly  of  such  as  Dr  Kicliiin'-^on, 
who,  to  his  prolossional  duties  was  to  add  lliat  ol  naltnidist, 
ii)i.ij;ht  consider  to  be  most  cnriuiis  mu!  iiiUM'cslinji;. 

I  was  instiiH'lcd,  on  my  arrival  at,  or  ncnr.  Iho  iMoutii 
of  the  C(<p{)cr-JMino  Uivrr,  to  make;  every  iiupiiry  as  lo 
the  situation  oftlie  spot,  from  wbeneo  nntive  copper  bad 
been  brought  down  by  the  Incbans  lo  the  flMilson''s  IJay 
cstablisbment,  and  to  visit  an'  explon^  the  place  in  (jues- 
lion;  in  order  that  Dr.  Richardson  mii^ht  bo  enabled  to 
make  such  observations  as  iniglil  be  use  In!  in  a  eoiinn<'r- 
cial  point  of  view,  or  interesting  to  the  science  ol  minera- 
logy- 

From  Joseph  IJorens,  Esq.,  the  Governor  of  tb(*  Mud- 
son's  Bay  Company,  and  tho  GontloMu  n  of  the  Committee, 
1  received  all  kinds  of  assistance  and  infoi'm.ition.  roinmu- 
nicated  in  the  most  friendiv  manner  previous  to  my  l»  av- 
ing  England;  and  I  had  the  gratilication  of  perusing  t!ie 
orders  to  their  agents  and  servants  in  Noiih  AuKjrica, 
containing  tho  fullest  directions  to  promote,  by  every 
means,  the  progress  of  llie  Expedition;  and  I  n>ost  cheer- 
fully avail  myself  of  this  opportunity  of  expressing  my 
gratitude  to  these  Gentlemen  for  their  personal  kindness 
to  mvselfand  the  other  ofliccrs,  as  well  as  for  tho  beneiits 
rendered  by  them  to  the  Expedition;  and  the  same  senti- 
ment is  due  towards  the  Gentlemen  of  the  North-West 
Company,  both  in  England  and  An>erica,  more  particular- 
ly to  Simon  M'Gillivray,  Esq.,  of  London,  from  whom  I 
received  much  useful  information,  and  cordial  lett(ns  of 
recommendation  to  the  partners  and  agents  of  that  Com- 
pany, resident  on  our  line  of  route. 

A  short  time  before  I  left  London  I  had  the  pleasure 


mmmm 


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INTRODUCTION. 


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y: 


and  advantage  of  an  interview  with  thie  late  Sir  Alexander 
Mackenzie,  who  was  one  of  the  two  persons  who  had 
visited  the  coast  we  were  to  explore.  He  afforded  ine, 
in  the  most  open  and  kind  manner,  much  valuable  infor- 
mation and  advice. 

The  provisions,  instruments  and  other  articles  of  which 
I  had  furnished  a  list,  by  direction  of  the  Lords  Commis- 
sioners of  the  Admiralty,  were  embarked  on  board  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company's  ship  Prince  of  Wales,  appoint- 
ed by  the  Committee  to  convey  the  Expedition  to  York 
Factory,  their  principal  establishment  in  Hudson's  Bay. 

It  will  be  seen,  in  the  course  x>{  the  Narrative  as  well 
as  in  the  Appendix,  how  much  reason  I  had  to  be  satis- 
fied with,  and  how  great  my  obligations  are  to,  all  the 
Gentlemen  who  were  associatftd  with  me  in  the  Expedi- 
tion, whose  kindness,  good  conduct,  and  cordial  co-opera- 
tion, have  made  an  impression  which  can  never  be  effaced 
from  my  mind.  The  unfortunate  death  of  Mr.  Hood  is 
the  only  drawback  which  I  feel  from  the  otherwise  unal- 
loyed pleasiue  I  derived  from  reflecting  on  that  cordial 
unanimity  which  at  all  times  prevailed  among  us  in  the 
days  of  sunshine,  and  in  those  of  "sickness  and  sorrow." 

To  Doctor  Richardson,  in  particular,  the  exclusive  me- 
rit is  due  of  whatever  collections  and  observations  have 
beer)  made  in  the  department  of  Natural  History;  and  I 
am  indebted  to  him  in  no  small  degree  for  his  freindly 
advice  and  assistance  in  the  preparation  of  the  present 
Narrative.     The  Appendix  is  mostly  his  own. 

The  charts  and  drawings  were  made  by  Lieutenant 
Back,  and  the  late  Lieutenant  Hood.  Both  these  gentle- 
men cheerfully  and  ably  assisted  me  in  making  the  obser- 
vations and  in  the  daily  conduct  of  the  Expedition.    Mr. 


mant 

jntle- 

ibser- 

Mi. 


INTRODUCTION. 


,-^A 


XI 


Back  was  mostly  prevented  from  turning  his  attention  to 
objects  of  science  by  the  many  severe  duties  which  were 
required  of  him,  and  which  obliged  him  to  travel  almost 
constantly  every  winter  that  we  passed  in  America;  to 
his  personal  exertions  indeed,  is  mainly  to  be  attributed 
our  final  safety.  And  here  I  must  be  permitted  to  pay  the 
tribute,  which  is  due  to  the  fidelity,  exertion,  and  uniform 
good  conduct  in  the  most  trying  situations,  of  John  Hep- 
burn, an  English  seamen,  and  our  only  attendant,  to  whom 
in  the  latter  pari  of  our  journey  we  owe,  under  Divine 
Providence,  the  preservation  of  the  lives  of  some  of  the 
party. 

I  ought,  perhaps,  to  crave  the  reader's  indulgence  to- 
wards the  defective  style  of  this  work,  which  I  trust  will 
not  be  refused  when  it  is  considered  that  mine  has  been 
a  life  of  constant  employment  in  my  profession  from  a  very 
early  age.  I  have  been  prompted  to  venture  upon  the 
task  solely  by  an  imperious  sense  of  duty,  when  called 
upon  to  undertake  it. 


e  me- 
have 
nd  I 

indly 
esent 


■»'f 


'^ 


i 


!KH 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


OF 


ft'^ 


THE  POLAR  SEA 


CHAPTER  I. 

Departure  I'roin  England — Transactions  at  Stromness—Knler  Uavis' Straits- 
Perilous  Situation  on  tJie  shore  of  Resolution  Island — Land  on  the  Coast  of 
Labrador — Eskimau:ik  of  Savage  Islands — York  Factory — Preparations  for 
the  Journey  into  the  Interior. 


1819.     f^ 

May.    UN 'Sunday,  the  23d  of  May,  the  whole  of  our  party 

embarked  at  Gravesend  on  board  the  ship  Prince  of  Wales,  be- 
longing to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  just  as  she  was  in  the 
act  of  getting  under  weigh,  with  her  consorts  the  Eddystone  and 
Wear.  The  wind  being  unfavourable,  and  on  the  ebb  tide  being 
finished,  the  vessels  were  again  anchored  ;  but  they  weighed  in  the 
night,  and  beat  down  as  far  as  the  Warp,  where  they  were  de- 
tained two  days  by  a  strong  easterly  wind. 

Having  learned  from  some  of  the  passengers,  who  were  the 
trading  Officers  of  the  Company,  that  the  arrival  of  the  ships  at 
either  of  the  establishments  in  Hudson's  Bay,  gives  full  occupa- 
tion to  all  the  boatmen  in  their  service,  who  are  required  to  con 
vey  the  necessary  stores  to  the  different  posts  in  the  interior; 
that  it  was  very  probable  a  sufficient  number  of  men  might  not 
be  procured  from  this  indispensable  duty  ;  and,  considering  that 
any  delay  at  York  Factory  would  materially  retard  our  future 
operations,  I  wrote  to  the  Under  Secretary  of  State,  requesting 
his  permission  to  provide  a  few  well  qualified  steersmen  and 
bowmen  atStromness,  to  assist  our  proceedings  in  the  former  part 
»f  our  journey  into  the  interior. 

Mat/  30. — The  easterly  wind   which  h;  \  retarded  the  ship's 

A 


u 


A   JOURNEY    TO   THE    SHORES 


= 


tv: 


i 


n 


¥ 


pros^ress  so  much,  that  we  had  only  reached  HoUesly  Bay  aftei 
a  week's  beating  about,  changed  to  W.S.W.  soon  after  that  an- 
chorage had  been  gained.  The  vessels  instantly  weighed,  and 
by  carrying  all  sail,  arrived  in  Yarmouth  roads  at  seven  P.M.  : 
the  pilots  were  landed,  and  our  course  was  continued  through  lh«- 
anchorage.  At  midnight,  the  wind  became  light  and  variable, 
and  gradually  drew  round  to  the  N.W. ;  and  as  the  sky  indica- 
ted unsettled  weather,  and  the  wind  blew  from  an  unfavourable 
quarter  for  ships  upon  that  coast,  the  commander  bore  up  again 
for  Yarmouth,  and  anchored  at  eight  A.M. 

This  return  afl'orded  us,  at  least,  the  opportunity  of  comparing 
the  longitude  of  Yarmouth  church,  as  shewn  by  our  chronome- 
ters, with  its  position  as  laid  down  by  the  Ordinance  trigono- 
metrical survey ;  and  it  was  satisfactory  to  find,  from  the  small 
difference  in  their  results,  that  the  chronometers  had  not  experi- 
enced any  alteration  in  their  rates,  in  consequence  of  their  being 
changed  from  an  horizontal  position  in  a  room,  to  that  of  being 
carried  in  the  pocket. 

An  untoward  circumstance,  while  at  this  anchorage,  cast  a 
damp  on  our  party  at  this  early  period  of  the  voyage.  Em- 
boldened by  the  decided  appearance  of  the  N.W.  sky,  several  of 
our  officers  and  passeugers  ventured  on  shore  for  a  few  hours  ; 
but  we  had  not  been  long  in  the  town  before  the  wind  changed 
suddenly  to  S.E.,  which  caused  instant  motion  in  the  large  fleet 
collected  at  this  anchorage.  The  commander  of  our  ship  inti- 
mated his  intention  of  proceeding  to  sea  by  firing  guns ;  and 
the  passengers  hastened  to  embark.  Mr.  Back,  however,  had 
unfortunately  gone  upon  some  business  to  a  house  two  or  three 
miles  distant  from  Yarmouth,  along  the  line  of  the  coast ;  from 
whence  he  expected  to  be  able  to  observe  the  first  symptom  '^^ 
moving,  which  the  vessels  might  make.  By  some  accident, 
however,  he  did  not  make  his  appearance  before  the  captain 
was  obliged  to  make  sail,  that  he  might  get  the  ships  through 
the  intricate  passage  of  the  Cockle  Gat  before  it  was  dark. 
Fortunately,  through  the  kindness  of  Lieut.  Hewit  of  the  Pro- 
tector, I  was  enabled  to  convey  a  note  to  our  missing  companion, 
desiring  him  to  proceed   immediately  by  the  coach  to  the  Pent- 


or    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


8 


and 
}r,  had 
three 
;  from 
Item  -^^ 
[cident, 
:aptain 
irough 
dark. 
Pro- 
lan ion, 
Pent- 


land  Firth,  and  from  thence  across  the  passage  to  Stromness, 
which  appeared  to  be  the  only  way  of  proceeding  by  which  he 
could  rejoin  the  party. 

June  3. — The  wind  continuing  favourable  after  leaving  Yar- 
mouth, about  nine  this  morning  vve  passed  the  rugged  and  bold 
projecting  rock  termed  Johnny  Groat's  house,  and  soon  after- 
wards Duncansby  Head,  and  then  entered  the  Pentland  Firth. 
A  pilot  came  from  the  main  shore  of  Scotland,  and  steered, 
the  ship  in  safety  between  the  different  islands,  to  the  outer 
anchorage  at  Stromness.  though  tiie  atmosphere  was  too  dense 
for  distinguishing  any  objects  on  the  land.  Almost  immediately 
after  the  ship  had  anchored,  the  wind  changed  to  N.W.,  the 
rain  ceased,  and  a  sight  was  then  first  obtained  of  the  neigh- 
bouring islands,  and  of  the  town  of  Stromness,  the  latter  of 
which,  from  this  point  of  view,  and  at  this  distance,  presented 
a  pleasing  appearance. 

Mr.  Geddes,  the  agent  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  at  this 
place,  undertook  to  communicate  my  wish  for  volunteer  boat- 
men to  the  different  parishes,  by  a  notice  on  the  church-door, 
which  he  said  was  the  surest  and  most  direct  channel  for  the 
conveyance  of  information  to  the  lower  classes  in  these  islands, 
as  they  invariably  attend  divine  service  there  every  Sunday. 
He  informed  me  that  the  kind  of  men  we  were  in  want  of  would 
be  difficult  to  procure,  on  account  of  the  very  increased  demand 
for  boatmen  for  the  herring  fishery,  which  has  recently  been 
established  on  the  shores  of  these  islands  :  that  last  year,  sixty 
boats  and  four  hundred  men  only  were  employed  in  this  service, 
whereas  now  there  were  three  hundred  boats  and  twelve  hundred 
men  engaged  :  and  that  owing  to  this  unexpected  addition  to  the 
fishery,  he  had  been  unable  to  provide  the  number  of  persons  re- 
quired for  the  service  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  This  was 
unpleasant  information,  as  it  increased  the  apprehension  of  our 
being  detained  at  York  Factory  the  whole  winter,  if  boatmen 
were  not  taken  from  hence.  I  could  not  therefore  hesitate  in  re- 
questing Mr.  Geddes  to  engage  eight  or  ten  men  well  adapted  for 
our  service,  on  such  terms  as  he  could  procure  them,  though  the 
Secretary  of  State's  permission  had  not  yet  reached  me. 


'% 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


i'\ 


Next  to  a  supply  of  boatmen,  our  attention  was  directed  towards 
the  ])rociiring  of  a  house  conveniently  situated  for  tryina;  the  in- 
strinnents,  and  exaniinin,':;  the  rates  of  the  chronometers.  Mr. 
fteddes  kindly  offered  ono  of  his,  which,  thou2;h  in  an  unfinished 
state,  was  readily  accepted,  being  well  situated  for  our  purpose,  as 
it  was  placed  on  an  eminence,  had  a  southern  aspect,  and  was  at  a 
sufficient  distance  from  the  town  to  secure  us  from  frequent  inter- 
ruption. Another  arlvantagc  was  its  proximity  to  the  Manse,  the  re- 
sidence of  the  worthy  and  highly  respected  minister  of  Stromness  : 
whose  kind  hospitality  and  polite  attention  of  his  family,  the 
])arty  experienced  almost  daily  during  their  stay. 

For  threedays  the  weather  was  unsettled,  and  few  observations 
could  be  made,  except  for  the  dip  of  the  needle,  which  was  as- 
ceitained  to  be  74'-'  37'  48",  on  which  occasion  a  difference  of 
eight  degrees  and  a  half  was  j)erccived  between  the  observations, 
when  the  face  of  the  instrument  was  changed  from  the  east  to  the 
west,  the  amount  being  the  greatest  when  it  was  placed  with  the 
face  to  the  west.  But  on  the  8th,  a  westerly  wind  caused  a  cloud- 
less sky,  which  enabled  us  to  place  the  transit  instrument  in  the 
meridian,  and  to  ascertain  the  variation  of  the  compass,  to  be  27'^ 
50'  west.  The  sky  becoming  cloudy  in  the  afternoon,  prevented 
our  obtaining  the  corresponding  observations  to  those  gained  in 
the  morning  ;  and  the  next  day  an  impervious  fog  obscured  the 
sky  until  noon.  On  the  evening  of  this  day,  we  had  the  gratifi- 
cation of  welcoming  our  absent  companion,  Mr.  Back.  His  re- 
turn to  our  society  was  hailed  with  sincere  pleasure  by  every 
one,  and  removed  a  weight  of  anxiety  from  my  mind.  It  appears 
that  he  had  come  down  to  the  beach  at  Caistor,  just  as  the  ships 
were  passing  by,  and  had  applied  to  some  boatmen  to  convey  him 
on  board,  which  might  have  been  soon  accomplished,  but  they, 
discovering  the  emergency  of  his  case,  demanded  an  exorbitant 
reward  which  he  was  not  at  the  instant  prepared  to  satisfy  ;  And 
in  consequence  they  positively  refused  to  assist  him.  Though  he 
haij  travelled  nine  successive  days,  almost  without  rest,  he  could 
not  be  prevailed  upon  to  withdraw  from  the  agreeable  scene  of  ;< 
b;dl  room,  in  ^vhich  he  joined  us,  until  a  late  hour. 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


iwards 

he  in- 

Mr. 

nishcd 
ose,  as 
as  at  « 
inlei- 
llic  rc- 
inncss : 
ly,  the 

vations 
vas  as- 
jnce  of 
k^ations, 
t  to  the 
^'ith  the 
a  cloud - 
t  in  the 
be  a?'' 
evented 
ined  in 
red  the 
gratifi- 
iis  re- 
every 
appears 
e  ships 
ey  him 
t  they., 
rbitanl 
;  »nd 
ugh  he 
could 
e  of  ;» 


On  the  lOlh,  the  rain  having  ceased,  the  observations  for  ascer- 
taining the  dip  of  the  needle  were  repeated  ;  and  the  results,  com- 
pared with  the  former  ones,  gave  a  mean  of  74°  33'  20".  Nearly 
the  same  (hftercnccs  were  remarked  in  reversing  the  face  of  the 
instrument  as  before.  An  attempt  was  also  made  to  ascertaui  the 
inognetic  force,  but  the  wind  blew  too  strong  for  procuring  the 
observation  to  any  degree  of  accuracy. 

The  lineness  of  the  following  day  induced  us  to  set  up  the  dif- 
ferent instruments  for  examination,  and  to  try  how  nearly  the 
observations  made  by  each  of  them  would  agree  ;  but  a  squall 
passed  over  just  before  noon,  accompanied  by  heavy  rain,  and  the 
hoped-for  favourable  opportunity  was  entirely  lost.  In  the  in- 
tervals between  the  observations,  and  at  every  opportunity,  my 
companions  were  occupied  in  those  pursuits  to  which  their  at- 
tention had  been  more  particularly  directed  in  my  instructions. 
Whilst  Dr.  Uichardson  was  collecting  and  examining  the  various 
specimens  of  marine  plants,  of  which  these  islands  furnish  an 
abundant  and  diversified  supply,  Mr.  Back  and  Mr.  Hood  took 
views  and  sketches  of  the  surrounding  scenery,  which  is  ex- 
tremely picturesque  in  many  parts,  and  wants  only  the  addition 
of  trees  to  make  it  beautiful.  The  hills  present  the  bold  character 
of  rugged  sterility,  whilst  the  valleys,  at  this  season,  arc  clothed 
with  luxuriant  verdure. 

It  was  not  till  the  14th,  that,  by  appointment,  the  boatmen 
were  to  assemble  at  the  house  of  JNlr.  Geddcs,  to  engage  to  ac- 
company the  expedition.  Several  persons  collected,  but  to  my 
great  mortification,  I  found  they  were  all  so  strongly  possessed 
with  the  fearful  apprehension,  either  that  great  danger  would  at- 
tend the  service,  or  that  we  should  carry  them  further  than  they 
would  agree  to  go,  that  not  a  single  man  would  engage  with  us  ; 
some  of  them,  however,  said  liiey  would  consider  the  subjecl,  and 
give  me  an  answer  on  the  following  day.  This  indecisive  con- 
duct was  extremely  annoying  to  me,  especially  as  the  next  even- 
ing  was  fixed  for  the  departure  of  the  ships. 

At  the  a|)pointed  time  on  the  following  morning  four  njen  only 
presented  themselves,  and  these,  after  much  hesitation,  engaged 
to  iiccom|)any  the  expedition  to  Fort  Chepewyan,  if  they  should 


1  ;s> 


« 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHOULu 


\% 


:l 


f: 


!nl.^ 


i 


be  required  so  tar.  The  bowmen  and  steersmen  were  to  receive 
forty  pounds  wages  annually,  and  the  middle  men  thirty-five 
pounds.  They  stipulated  to  be  sent  back  to  the  Orkney  Islands, 
free  of  expense,  and  to  receive  their  pay  until  the  time  of  arrival. 
Only  these  few  men  could  be  procured,  although  our  requisition 
had  been  sent  to  almost  every  island,  even  as  far  as  the  northern- 
most point  of  Ronaldsha.  I  was  much  amused  with  the  extreme 
caution  these  men  used  before  they  would  sign  the  agreement ; 
they  minutely  scanned  all  our  intentions,  weighed  every  circum- 
stance, looked  narrowly  into  the  plan  of  our  route,  and  still  more 
circumspectly  to  the  prospect  of  return.  Such  caution  on  the 
part  of  the  northern  mariners  forms  a  singular  contrast  with  the 
ready  and  thoughtless  manner  in  which  an  English  seaman  enters 
upon  any  enterprise,  however  hazardous,  without  inquiring,  or 
desiring  to  know,  where  he  is  going,  or  what  he  is  going  about. 

The  brig  Harmony,  belonging  to  the  Moravian  Missionary 
Society,  and  bound  to  their  settlement  at  Nain,  on  the  coast  of  La- 
brador, was  lying  at  anchor.  With  the  view  of  collecting  some 
Esquimaux  words  and  sentences,  or  gaining  any  information  res- 
pecting the  manners  and  habits  of  that  people.  Doctor  Richardson 
and  myself  paid  her  a  visit.  We  found  the  passengers,  who  were 
going  out  as  Missionaries,  extremely  disposed  to  communicate ; 
but  as  they  only  spoke  the  German  and  Esquimaux  languages,  of 
which  we  were  ignorant,  our  conversation  was  necessarily  much 
confined  :  by  the  aid,  however,  of  an  Esquimaux  and  German 
Dictionary,  some  few  words  were  collected,  which  we  considered 
might  be  useful.  There  were  on  board  a  very  interesting  girl,  and 
a  young  man,  who  were  natives  of  Disco,  in  Old  Greenland  ;  both 
of  them  had  fair  complexions,  rather  handsome  features  and  a  lively 
manner;  the  former  was  going  to  be  married  to  a  resident  Mis- 
sionary, and  the  latter  to  officiate  in  that  character.  The  comman- 
der of  the  vessel  gave  me  a  translation  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John 
in  the  Esquimaux  language,  printed  by  the  Moravian  Society  in 
London.  ,i, 

June  16. — The  wind  being  unfavourable  for  sailing,  I  went  on 
shore  v.'ith  Dr.  Richardson,  and  took  several  lunar  observations  at 
the  place  of  our  former  residence.     The  result  obtained  was,  la- 


OF    THK    POLAR    SEA. 


or 


jnt  on 
Ions  at 
las,  la- 


litiule  58°  56'  56"  N.,  longitude  3°  28'  28"  W.,  variation  27° 
50'  VV. ;  clip  of  the  majinetic  needle,  74°  33'  20".  In  the  after- 
noon the  wind  changed  in  a  squall  some  points  towards  the  north, 
and  the  Prince  of  Wales  made  the  preparatory  signal  for  sea.  At 
three  P.M.  the  ships  weighed,  an  hour  too  early  for  the  tide;  as 
soon  as  this  served  we  entered  into  the  passage  between  Hoy  and 
Pomona,  and  h;id  to  beat  through  against  a  very  heavy  swell, 
which  the  meeting  of  a  weather  tide  and  a  strong  breeze  had  oc- 
casioned. 

Some  dangerous  rocks  lie  near  the  Pomona  shore,  and  on  this 
side  also  the  tide  appeared  to  run  with  the  greatest  strength.  On 
clearing  the  outward  projecting  points  of  Hoy  and  Pomona,  we 
entered  at  once  into  the  Atlantic,  and  commenced  our  voyage  to 
Hudson's  Bay — having  the  Eddystone,  Wear,  and  Harmony  IMis- 
sionary  brig  in  company. 

The  comparisons  of  the  chronometers  this  day  indicated  that 
Arnold's  Nos.  2148  and  2147,  had  slightly  changed  their  rates 
since  they  had  been  brought  on  board  ;  fortunately  the  rate  of  the 
former  seems  to  have  increased  nearly  in  the  same  ratio  as  the 
other  has  lost,  and  the  mean  longitude  will  not  be  materially  af- 
fected. 

Being  now  fairly  launched  into  the  Atlantic,  I  issued  a  general 
memorandum  for  the  guidance  of  the  officers,  during  the  prosecu- 
tion of  the  service  on  which  we  were  engaged,  and  communicated 
to  them  the  several  points  of  information  that  were  expected  from 
us  by  my  instructions.  I  also  furnished  them  with  copies  of  the 
signals,  which  had  been  agreed  upon  between  Lieutenant  Parry 
and  myself,  to  be  used  in  the  event  of  our  reaching  the  northern 
coast  of  America,  and  falling  in  with  each  other.  ' 

At  the  end  of  the  month  of  June,  our  progress  was  found  to 
have  been  extremely  slow,  owing  to  a  determined  N.W.  wind 
and  much  sea.  We  had  numerous  birds  hovering  round  the  ship ; 
principally  fulmars  (pi'ocellaria  glacialis^)  mm\  shearwaters, 
(pt^cellaria  pvffiiius,)  and  not  unfrequently  saw  shoals  of  gram- 
pusses  sporting  about,  which  the  Greenland  seamen  term  finners 
from  their  large  dorsal  fin.  Some  porpoises  occasionally  appeared, 
and  whenever  they  did,  the  crew  were  sanguine  in  their  expec- 


8 


A    JOUKNKY    TO    THE    SHORES 


^ 


n 


tation  o(  liavinji;  a  sjicedy  change  in  the  wind,  which  had  hueii  so 
vcxatiously  contrary,  but  they  were  disappointed  in  every  instance. 

'Thursday f  July  1. — The  month  of  July  set  in  more  favour- 
ably; and,  aided  by  fresh  breezes,  we  advanced  rapidly  to  the  west- 
ward, attended  daily  by  numerous  fulmars  and  shearwaters.  The 
Missionary  briu;  had  parted  company  on  the  22d  of  June.  Wc 
passed  directly  over  that  part  of  the  ocean  where  the  "  Sunken 
Land  of  Buss"  is  laid  down  in  the  old,  and  continued  in  the 
Admiralty  charts.  Mr.  Bell,  the  commander  of  the  E«ldystone, 
informed  me  that  the  pilot,  who  brought  his  ship  down  the 
Thames,  told  him  that  he  had  gained  soundings  in  twelve  feet 
somewhere  hereabout ;  and  I  am  rather  inclined  to  attribute  the 
very  unusual  and  cross  sea  we  had  in  this  neighbourhood,  to  the 
existence  of  a  bank,  than  to  the  effect  of  a  gale  of  wind  which 
we  had  just  before  experienced  ;  and  I  cannot  but  regret  that  the 
commander  of  the  ship  did  not  try  for  soundings  at  frequent  in- 
tervals. 1        •     : 

By  the  25th  July  we  had  opened  the  entrance  of  Davis'  Straits, 
and  in  the  afternoon  we  spoke  the  Andrew  Marvel,  bound  to 
England  with  a  cargo  of  fourteen  fish.  The  master  informed  us 
that  the  ice  had  been  heavier  tliis  season  in  Davis'  Straits  than  he 
had  ever  recollected,  and  that  it  lay  jtarticularly  close  to  the  west- 
ward, being  connected  with  the  shore  to  the  northward  of  Reso- 
lution Island,  and  extending  from  thence  within  a  short  distance 
of  the  Greenland  coast ;  that  whales  had  been  abundant,  but  the 
ice  so  extremely  cross,  that  few  could  be  killed.  His  ship,  as  well 
as  several  others,  had  sutlcred  material  injury,  and  two  vessels 
had  been  entirely  crusiied  between  vast  masses  of  ice  in  latitude 
74°  40'  N.,  but  the  crews  were  saved.  We  inquired  anxiously, 
but  in  vain,  for  intelligence  respecting  Lieutenant  Parry,  and  the 
ships  under  his  command  ;  but  as  he  mentioned  that  the  wind  had 
been  blowing  strong  from  the  northward  for  some  time,  which 
would,  jjrobably,  have  cleared  Baffin's  Bay  of  ice,  we  were  dis- 
posed to  hope  favourably  of  his  progress. 

The  clouds  assumed  so  much  the  appearance  of  icebergs  this 
evening  as  to  deceive  most  of  the  passengers  and  crew;  but  their 
imaginations  had  been  excited  by  the  intelligence  we  had  rcceiv- 


m 


TO    THE    FOLAR    SKA. 


b  this 

their 

leceiv- 


ed  from   the  Andrew  Marvel,  that  she  hatl  only  patted  iVom  a 
cluster  of  them  two  days  previous  to  our  meeting. 

On  the  527th,  being  in  latitude  57"  44'  21"  N.,  longitude  ,47" 
31'  14"  VV.,  and  the  weather  calm,  we  tried  for  soundings,  but  diil 
not  reach  the  bottom.  The  register  thermometer  was  attached  to 
the  line  Jitsl  above  the  lead,  and  is  supposed  to  have  descended 
six  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms.  A  well-corked  bottle  was  also 
fastened  to  the  line,  two  hundred  fathoms  above  the  lead,  and 
went  down  four  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms.  The  change  in  tem- 
perature, shown  by  the  register  thermometer  during  the  descent, 
was  from  53°  to  40.5';  and  it  stood  at  the  latter  point,  when 
taken  out  of  the  tin  case.  The  temperature  of  the  water  brought 
up  in  the  bottle  was  41°,  lieing  half  a  degree  higher  at  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  than  at  six  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms,  and  four  de- 
grees colder  than  the  water  at  the  surface,  which  was  then  at  45", 
whilst  that  of  the  air  was  46°.  This  experiment,  in  shewing  tlu- 
water  to  be  colder  at  a  great  depth  than  at  the  surface,  and  in 
proportion  to  the  increase  of  the  descent,  coincides  with  the  ob- 
servations of  Captain  Ross  and  Lieutenant  Parry,  on  their  late 
voynge  to  these  seas,  but  is  contrary  to  the  results  obtained  by 
Captain  Buchan  and  myself,  on  our  recent  voyage  to  the  north, 
between  Spitzbergen  and  Greenland,  in  which  sea  we  invariably 
found  the  water  brought  from  any  great  depth  to  be  warmer  than 

that  at  the  surface. 

1 

On  the  28th  we  tacked  to  avoid  an  extensive  stream  of  sailing 
ice.  The  temperature  of  the  water  fell  to  39.5°,  when  we  were 
near  it,  but  was  at  41°,  when  at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile.  The 
thermometer  in  the  air  remained  steadily  at  40°.  Thus  the  proxi- 
mity of  this  ice  was  not  so  decidedly  indicated  by  the  decrease  of 
the  temperature  of  either  the  air  or  water,  as  I  have  before  wit- 
nessed, which  was  probably  owing  to  the  recent  arrival  of  the 
stream  at  this  point,  and  its  passing  at  .too  quick  a  rate  for  the  ef- 
fectual difiusion  of  its  chilling  Influence  beyond  a  short  distance. 
Still  the  decrease  in  both  cases  was  sufficient  to  have  given  timely 
warning  for  a  ship's  performing  any  evolution  that  would  have 
prevented  the  coming  in  contact  with  it,  had  the  thickness  of  th«- 
weather  precluded  a  distant  view  of  the  danger. 

B 


lu 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    bHORKS 


I 


I';;, 


f?! 


^.: 


The  approach  to  the  ice  would  bo  more  evidently  pointed  out 
in  the  Atlantic,  or  wherever  the  surface  is  not  so  continually 
chilled  by  the  passing;  and  the  mcfting  of  ice  as  in  this  sea;  and 
I  should  strongly  recommend  a  strict  hourly  attention  to  the  ther- 
monietrical  state  of  the  water  at  the  surface,  in  all  parts  where 
ships  are  exposed  to  the  danjj^erous  concussion  of  sailing  iceberg*, 
as  a  principal  means  of  security. 

The  following  day  our  ship  came  near  another  stream  of  ice, 
and  the  approach  to  it  was  indicated  by  a  decrease  of  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  water  at  the  surface  from  44"  to  42".  A  small  pine- 
tree  was  picked  up  much  shattered  by  the  ice.  In  the  afternoon 
of  the  30th,  a  very  dense  fog  came  on;  and,  about  s  \  P.M., 
when  sailing  before  a  fresh  breeze,  we  were  suddenly  involved 
in  a  heavy  stream  of  ice.  Considerable  diflicully  was  experienced 
in  steering  through  the  narrow  channels  between  the  dilfercnt 
masses  in  this  foggy  weather,  and  the  ship  received  several  severe 
blows. 

The  water,  as  usual  in  the  centre  of  the  stream,  was  quite 
smooth,  but  we  heard  the  waves  beating  violently  against  the 
outer  edge  of  the  ice.  There  was  some  earthy  matter  Oh  several 
of  the  pieces,  and  the  whole  body  bore  the  appearance  of  recent 
separation  from  the  land.  In  the  s|)ace  of  two  hours  we  again  got 
into  the  open  sea,  but  had  left  our  two  consorts  far  behind ;  but 
they  followed  our  track  by  the  guns  we  discharged.  The  tem- 
perature of  the  surface  water  was  35°  when  amongst  the  ice,  38° 
when  just  clear  of  it,  and  41.5°  at  two  miies  distant. 

On  the  3d  of  August,  when  in  latitude  59°  58'  N.,  longitude 
59*  53'  W.,  we  first  fell  in  with  large  icebergs;  and  in  the  even- 
ing were  encompassed  by  several  of  considerable  magnitude, 
which  obliged  us  to  tack  the  ship  in  order  to  prevent  our  getting 
entangled  amongst  them.  The  estimated  distance  from  the  nearest 
part  of  the  Labrador  coast  was  then  eighty-eight  miles ;  here  we 
tried  for  soundings,  without  gaining  the  bottom.  The  ship  passed 
through  some  strong  riplings,  which  evidently  indicated  a  current, 
but  its  direction  was  not  ascertained.  We  found,  however,  by 
the  recent  observations,  that  the  ship  had  been  set  daily  to  the 


si 
tl 


11 


or    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


11 


l^itude 

even- 

litudc, 

jetting 

learest 

ire  we 

>assed 

Irrent, 

r,  by 

lo  the 


boiithwartl,  since  wc  had  opened  Davis'  Straits.    The  variation  of 
tlic  compass  was  obsurvt.'d  to  be  52^  41'  W. 

At  nine  P.M.,  brilliant  coruscaliotis  of  the  Aurora  liorealis  ap- 
peared, of  a  pale  ochre  colour,  with  a  slight  tinge  of  red,  in  an 
arched  form  crossing  the  zenith  from  N.W.  to  S.JO.,  but  afterwards 
they  assunu'd  various  shapes,  and  hail  a  rapid  motion. 

On  the  5lh  of  August,  a  j)arly  of  the  olliccrs  endeavoured  to 
get  on  one  of  the  larger  icebergs,  but  inelfectually,  owing  to  the 
steepness  and  snioolhness  of  its  sides,  and  the  swell  produced  by 
its  mululating  motion.  This  was  one  of  the  largest  we  saw,  and 
jNlr.  llood  ascertained  its  height  to  be  one  hundred  and  forty-nine 
feet ;  but  these  masses  of  ice  are  frequently  magnified  to  an  im- 
mense size,  through  the  illusive  medium  of  a  hazy  atmosphere, 
and  on  this  account  their  dimensions  have  often  been  exaggerated 
by  voyagers. 

In  the  morning  of  the  7th,  the  Island  of  Resolution  was  indis- 
tinctly seen  through  the  haze,  but  was  soon  afterwards  entirely 
hidtien  by  a  very  dense  fog.  The  favourable  breeze  subsided  into 
a  perfect  calm,  and  left  the  ship  surrounded  by  loose  ice.  At  this 
time  the  Eddystone  was  perceived  to  be  driving  with  rapidity  to- 
wards some  of  the  larger  masses :  the  stern  boats  of  this  ship  and 
of  the  Wear  were  despatched  to  assist  in  towing  her  clear  of 
them.  At  ten,  a  momentary  clearness  presented  the  land  distinct- 
ly at  the  distance  of  two  miles ;  the  ship  was  quite  unmanageable, 
and  under  the  sole  governance  of  the  currents,  which  ran  in  strong 
eddies  between  the  masses  of  ice.  Our  consorts  were  also  seen, 
the  Wear  being  within  hail,  and  the  Eddystone  at  a  short  distance 
from  us.  Two  attempts  were  inefl'ectuaily  made  to  gain  sound- 
ings, and  the  extreme  density  of  the  fog  precluded  us  from  any 
other  means  of  ascertaining  the  direction  in  which  we  vvere  driv- 
ing until  half  past  twelve,  when  we  had  the  alarming  view  of  a 
barren  rugged  shore  \\  ithin  a  few  yards,  towering  over  the  mast- 
heads. Almost  instantly  afterwards  the  ship  struck  violently  on  a 
point  of  rocks,  projecting  from  the  island  ;  and  the  ship's  side  was 
brought  so  near  to  the  shore,  that  poles  were  prepared  to  push  her 
off.  This  blow  displaced  the  rudder,  and  raised  it  several  inches 
but  it  fortunately  had  been  previously  confined  by  tackles.  A  gentle 


it  I 


It 


A   JOURNEY   TO   THE    SHORES 


I 


iili" 


'Ml 


$ 


u 


% 


swell  freed  the  ship  from  this  perilous  situation,  but  the  current 
hurried  us  along  in  contact  with  the  rocky  shore,  and  the  prospect 
was  most  alarming.  On  the  outward  bow  was  perceived  a  nag- 
ged and  precipitous  cliff,  whose  summit  was  hid  in  the  fog,  i^iid 
the  vessel's  head  was  pointed  towards  the  bottom  of  a  small  bay, 
into  which  we  were  rapidly  driving.  There  now  seemed  to  be 
no  probability  of  escaping  shipwreck,  being  without  wind,  and 
having  the  rudder  in  its  present  useless  state ;  the  only  assistance 
was  that  of  a  boat  employed  in  towing,  which  had  been  placed  in 
the  water  between  the  ship  and  the  shore,  at  the  imminent  risk  of 
its  being  crushed.  The  ship  again  struck  in  passing  over  a  ledge 
of  rocks,  and  happily  the  blow  replaced  the  rudder,  which  enabled 
us  to  take  advantage  of  a  light  breeze,  and  to  direct  the  ship's 
head  without  the  projecting  cliff.  But  the  breeze  was  only  mo- 
mentary, and  the  ship  was  a  third  time  driven  on  shore  on  the 
rocky  termination  of  the  cliff.  Here  we  remained  stationary 
for  some  seconds,  and  with  little  prospect  of  being  removed  from 
this  perilous  situation  ;  but  we  were  once  more  extricated  b}'  the 
swell  from  this  ledge  also,  and  carried  still  farther  along  the  shore. 
The  coast  became  now  more  rugged,  and  our  view  of  it  was  ter- 
^ninated  by  another  high  projecting  point  on  the  starboard  bow. 
Happily,  before  we  had  reached  it,  a  light  breeze  enabled  us  to 
turn  the  ship's  head  to  seaward,  and  we  had  the  gratification  to 
find,  when  the  sails  were  trimmed,  that  she  drew  off  the  shore. 
We  had  made  but  little  progress,  however,  when  she  was  violently 
forced  by  the  current  against  a  large  iceberg  lying  aground. 

Our  prospect  was  now  more  alarming  than  at  any  preceding 
period :  and  it  would  be  difficult  for  mc  to  portray  the  anxiety 
and  dismay  depicted  on  the  countenances  of  the  female  passengers 
and  children,  who  were  rushing  on  deck  in  spite  of  the  endea- 
vours of  the  officers  to  keep  them  below,  out  of  the  danger  which 
was  apprehended  if  the  masts  should  be  carried  away.  After  the 
first  concussion  the  ship  was  driven  along  the  steep  and  rugged 
side  of  this  iceberg,  with  such  amazing  rapidity,  that  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  masts  seemed  ineviuble,  and  every  one  expected  we 
should  again  be  forced  on  the  rocks  in  the  most  disabled  state ; 
but  we  providentially  escaped  this  perilous  result,  which  must 
have  been  decisive. 


Of  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


n 


current 
rospect 
a  rrg- 
.g,  a.id 
ill  bay, 
\  to  be 
nd,  and 
sistance 
laced  in 
;  risk  of 
a  ledg;e 
enabled 
B  ship's 
ily  mo- 
j  on  the 
ationary 
ed  from 
I  by  the 
le  shore- 
ivas  ter- 
rd  bow. 
us  to 
ation  to 
shore, 
iolently 
id.      ' 
eceding 
anxiety 
isengers 
cndea- 
which 
fter  the 
Ligged 
lestruc- 
ted  we 
state ; 
1  must 


-'» 


The  dense  fog  now  cleared  away  for  a  short  time,  and  we  dis- 
covered the  Eddystone  close  to  some  rocks,  having  three  boats 
employed  in  towing ;  but  the  Wear  was  not  visible. 

Our  ship  received  water  very  fast ;  the  pumps  were  instantly 
manned  and  kept  in  continual  use,  and  signals  of  distress  were 
made  to  the  Eddystone,  whose  commander  promptly  came  on 
board,  and  then  ordered  to  our  assistance  his  carpenter  and  all  thn 
men  he  could  spare,  together  with  the  carpenter  and  boat's  crew 
of  the  Wear,  who  had  gone  on  board  the  Eddystone  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  were  prevented  from  returning  to  their  own  vessel  by  the 
fog.   As  the  wind  was  increasing,  and  the  sky  appeared  very  un- 
settled, it  was  determined  the  Eddystone  should  take  the  ship  in 
tow,  that  the  undivided  attention  of  the  passengers  and  crew 
might  be  directed  to  pumping,  and  clearing  the  holds  to  examine 
whether  there  was  a  possibility  of  stopping  the  leak.     We  soon 
had  reason  to  suppose  the  principal  injury  had  been  received  from 
a  blow  near  the  stern-post,  and,  after  cutting  away  part  of  the 
ceiling,  the  carpenters  endeavoured  to  stop  the  rushing  in  of  the 
water,  by  forcing  oakum  between  the  timbers ;  but  this  had  not 
the  desired  effect,  and  the  leak,  in  spite  of  all  our  efforts  at  tlio- 
pumps,  increased  so  much,  that  parties  of  the  officers  and  passen- 
gers were  stationed  to  bail  out  the  water  in  buckets  at  different 
parts  of  the  hold.    A  heavy  gale  came  on,  blowing  from  the  land 
ai.  the  night  advanced ;  the  sails  were  split,  the  ship  was  encom- 
passed by  heavy  ice,  and,  in  forcing  through  a  closely-connected 
stream,  the  tow-rope  broke,  and  obliged  us  to  take  a  portion  of 
tlie  seamen  from  the  pumps,  and  appoint  them  to  the  management 
of  the  ship. 

Fati':Tue,  indeed,  had  caused  us  to  relax  in  our  exertions  at  the 
pumps  during  a  j)art  of  the  night  of  the  8th,  and  on  the  followinjr 
morning  upwards  of  five  feet  water  was  found  in  the  well.  Re- 
newed exertions  were  now  put  forth  by  every  person,  and  before 
eight  A.M.  the  water  was  so  much  reduced  as  to  enable  the  car- 
penters to  get  at  other  defective  places ;  but  the  remedies  thev 
could  apply  were  insufficient  to  repress  the  water  from  rushing  in. 
and  our  labours  could  but  just  keep  the  ship  in  the  same  state 
throughout  the  day,  until  six  P.M. ;  wlien  the  strength  of  every 


H 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    {.IlOREfi 


H  i; 


one  began  to  fail,  the  expedient  of  thrusting  in  felt,  as  well  as 
oakunij  was  resorted  to,  and  a  plank  nailed  over  all.  After  this 
operation  a  perceptible  diminution  in  the  water  was  made,  and 
being  encouraged  by  the  change,  we  put  forth  our  utmost  exertion 
in  bailing  and  pumping,  and  before  night,  to  our  infinite  joy,  the 
leak  was  so  overpowered  that  tlie  pun)ps  were  only  required  to 
be  used  at  intervals  of  ten  minutes.  A  sail,  covered  with  every 
substance  that  could  be  carried  into  the  leaks  by  the  pressure  of 
the  water,  was  drawn  under  the  quarter  of  the  ship,  and  secured 
by  ropes  on  each  side. 

As  a  matter  of  precaution  in  the  event  of  having  to  abandon 
the  ship,  which  was  for  some  time  doubtfu.,  the  elderly  women 
and  children  were  removed  to  the  Eddystone  when  the  wind  was 
moderate  this  afternoon,  but  the  young  women  remained  to  assist 
at  the  pumps,  and  their  services  were  highly  valuable,  both  for 
their  personal  labour,  and  for  the  encouragement  their  example 
and  perseverance  gave  to  the  men.  ■  •      .    ,       , 

At  day-light,  on  the  9th,  every  eye  was  anxiously  cast  around 
the  horizon  in  search  of  the  Wear,  but  in  vain  ;  and  the  recollec- 
tion of  our  own  recent  peril  caused  us  to  entertain  considerable 
apprehensions  for  her  safety.  This  anxiety  quickened  our  elforts 
to  exchange  our  sliattcred  sails  for  new  ones,  that  the  ship  might 
be  got,  as  speedily  as  possible,  near  to  the  land,  wliich  was  but 
just  in  sight,  and  a  careful  search  be  made  for  her  along  the 
coast.  We  were  rejoiced  to  find  that  our  leak  did  not  increase 
by  carrying  sail,  and  we  ventured  in  the  evening  to  remove  the 
sail  which  had  been  placed  under  the  part  where  the  injury  had 
been  received,  as  it  greatly  impeded  our  advance.  ■^',  v 

We  passed  many  icebergs  on  the  10th,  and  in  the  evening  we 
tacked  from  a  level  field  of  ice,  which  extended  northward  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  reach.  Our  leak  remained  in  the  same  state ; 
ihe  pumps  discharged  in  three  minutes  the  quantity  of  water  which 
had  been  received  in  fifteen. 

The  ship  could  not  be  got  near  to  the  land  before  the  afternoon 
of  the  lull.  At  four  P.M.  we  hove  to,  opposite  to,  and  about 
five  miles  distant  from,  the  spot  on  which  we  had  first  struck  on 
Saturday.     Every  glass  was  directed  along  the  shore  (as  they  had 


coi 

mi 

th 

wh 

no 

wa 

ren 


Wi 


OF    THE    POLAR    SKA. 


15 


hcreasc 
)vc  tlie 
ly  had 

-I 

11  g  we 
as  far 
state ; 

I  which 

hnoon 

about 

|ck  oil 

ly  had 


iicen  throughout  the  day),  to  discover  any  trace  ot  our  absent  con- 
sort; but,  as  none  was  seen,  our  solicitude  respcctii  c;  her  was 
much  increased,  and  we  feared  the  crew  nii2;ht  be  wrecked  on 
this  inhospitable  siiorc.  Guns  were  frequently  fned  to  apprize  any 
who  niig;ht  be  near  of  our  approach  ;  but,  as  no  one  appeared,  and 
no  signal  was  returned,  and  the  loose  ice  was  settina;  down  to- 
wards the  ship,  we  bore  up  to  proceed  to  the  next  apj)olnted 
rendezvous.  At  eigiit  P.M.  we  were  alireast  of  the  S.W  end  of 
the  island  called  Cape  Resolution,  which  is  a  low  point,  but  indi- 
cated at  a  distance  by  a  lofty  round  backed  hill  that  rises  above  it. 
We  entered  Hudson's  Straits  soon  afterwards. 

The  coast  of  Resolution  Island  should  be  approached  with  cau- 
t'ou,  as  the  tides  appear  to  be  stronp;  and  uncertain  in  their  course. 
Some  dan2;erous  rocks  he  above  and  below  the  water's  edi!;e,  at 
the  distance  of  live  or  six  miles  iVom  East  BluH',  bearingS.  32°  K. 

t^tis^ii.'it  12. — Having  had  a  fresh  gale  through  the  night,  we 
reached  Saddleback  Island  by  noon — the  place  of  rendezvous  ;  and 
looked  anxiously  but  in  vain  for  the  Wear.  Several  guns  were 
fu'ed,  supposing  she  might  be  hid  from  our  view  by  the  land  ; 
but,  as  she  did  not  appear,  Captain  Davidson,  having  remained 
two  hours,  deemed  further  delay  inexpedient,  and  bore  up  to  keep 
the  advantage  of  the  fair  wind.  The  outline  of  this  island  is  ruf- 
ged  ;  the  hummock  on  its  northern  extremity  appeared  to  me  to 
resemble  a  decayed  martello  tower  more  than  a  saddle. 

Azimuths  were  obtained  this  evening  that  gave  the  variation 
58°  45'  W.,  which  is  greater  than  is  laid  down  in  the  charts,  or 
than  the  officers  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  ships  have  been  accustomed 
to  allow.  We  arrived  abreast  of  the  Upper  Savage  Island  early  in 
the  morning,  and  as  the  breeze  was  moderate,  the  ship  was  steered 
as  near  to  the  shore  as  the  wind  would  permit,  to  give  the  Esqui- 
maux inhabitants  an  opportunity  of  coming  off  to  barter,  which 
they  soon  embraced. 

Their  shouts  at  n  distance  intimated  their  approach  some  time 
before  we  descried  the  canoes  paddling  towards  us  ;  the  headmost 
of  them  reached  us  at  eleven ;  these  were  quickly  followed  by 
others,  and  before  noon  about  forty  canoes,  each  holding  one  man, 
were  assembled  around  the  two  ships.    In  the  afternoon,  when 


i^l 


m 


.it''  J  '■ 


•:.:i' 


1i 


i  '!•  ■) 


fft 


16 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORlib 


we  approached  nearer  to  the  shore,  five  or  six  larger  ones,  con- 
taining the  women  and  children,  came  up. 

•  The  Esquimaux  immediately  evinced  their  desire  to  barter, 
and  displayed  no  small  cunning  in  making  their  bargains,  taking 
care  not  to  exhibit  too  many  articles  at  first.  Their  principal  com- 
modities were,  oil,  sea-horse  teeth,  whalebone,  seal-skin  dresses, 
caps  and  boots,  deer-skins  and  horns  and  models  of  their  cnoes  ; 
and  they  received  in  exchange  small  saws,  knives,  nails,  tin-kettles, 
and  needles.  It  was  pleasing  to  behold  the  exultation,  and  to  hear 
the  shouts  of  the  whole  party,  when  an  acquisition  was  made  by 
any  one;  and  not  a  little  ludicrous  to  behold  the  eagerness  wilh 
which  the  fortunate  person  licked  each  article  with  his  tongue,  on 
receiving  it,  as  a  finish  to  the  bargain,  and  an  act  of  appropriation. 
They  in  no  instance  omitted  this  strange  practice,  however  small 
the  article ;  the  needles  even  passed  individually  through  the  cere- 
mony. The  women  brought  imitations  of  men,  women,  animals, 
and  birds,  carved  with  labour  and  ingenuity  out  of  sea-horse  teeth. 
The  dresses,  and  the  figures  cf  the  animals,  were  not  badly  exe- 
cuted, but  there  was  no  attempt  at  the  delineation  of  the  counte- 
nances; and  most  of  the  figures  were  without  eyes,  ears,  and  fin- 
gers, the  execution  of  which  would,  perhaps,  have  required  more 
delicate  instruments  than  they  possess.  The  men  set  most  value 
on  saws ;  kuttee-»wa-bak,  the  name  by  which  they  distinguish 
them,  was  a  constant  cry.  Knives  were  held  next  in  estimation. 
An  old  sword  was  bartered  from  the  Eddystone,  and  I  shall  long 
remember  the  universal  burst  of  joy  on  the  happy  man's  receiving 
it.  It  was  delightful  to  witness  the  general  interest  excited  by  in- 
dividual acquisitions.  There  was  no  desire  shown  by  any  one  to 
over-reach  his  neighbour,  or  to  press  towards  any  part  of  the  ship 
where  a  bargain  was  making,  until  the  person  in  possession  of  the 
place  had  completed  his  exchange  and  removed ;  and,  if  any  ar- 
ticle happened  to  be  demanded  from  the  outer  canoes,  the  men 
nearest  assisted  willingly  in  passing  the  thing  across.  Supposing 
the  party  to  belong  to  one  tribe,  the  total  number  of  the  tribe  must 
exceed  two  hundred  persons,  as  there  were,  probably,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  around  the  ships,  and  few  of  these  were  elderly 
persons  or  male  children.      -, 


!S,    COtt- 

3  barter, 
5,  taking 
pal  com- 
dresses, 
cnoes ; 
i-kettles, 
I  to  hear 
made  by 
less  wilh 
ngue,  oil 
)priation. 
ver  small 
the  cere- 
,  animals, 
rse  teeth, 
idly  exe- 
le  counte- 
i,  and  fin- 
ed more 
ost  value 
stinguish 
timation. 
ihall  long 
receiving 
ed  by  in- 
ly  one  to 
the  ship 
on  of  the 
f  any  ar- 
the  men 
apposing 
ibe  must 
)ne  hun- 
;  elderly 


OF    THE   POLAR    SEA.  14 

Their  faces  were  broad  and  flat,  the  eyes  were  small.  The  men 
were  in  general  stout.  Some  of  the  yownger  women  and  the  chil- 
dren had  rather  pleasing  countenances,  but  the  difference  between 
these  and  the  more  aged  of  that  sex,  bore  strong  testimony  to  the 
effects  which  a  fow  years  produce  in  this  ungenial  climate.  Most 
of  the  party  had  sore  eyes,  all  of  them  appeared  of  a  plethoric 
habit  of  body  ;  several  were  observed  bleeding  at  the  nose  during 
their  stay  near  the  ship.  The  men's  dresses  consisted  of  a  jacket, 
of  seal-skin,  the  trowsers  of  bear-skin,  and  several  had  caps  of  the 
white  fox-skin.  The  female  dresses  were  made  of  the  same  ma- 
terials, but  differently  shaped,  having  a  hood  in  which  the  infants 
were  carried.  We  thought  their  manner  very  lively  and  agree- 
able. They  were  fond  of  mimicking  our  speech  and  gestures  ; 
but  nothing  afforded  them  greater  amusement  than  when  we  at- 
tempted to  retaliate  by  pronouncing  any  of  their  words. 

The  canoes  were  of  seal-skin,  and  similar  in  every  respect  to 
those  used  by  the  Esquimaux  in  Greenland  ;  they  were  generally 
new  and  very  complete  in  their  appointments.  Those  appro- 
priated to  the  women  are  of  ruder  construction,  and  only  calcu- 
lated for  fine  weather ;  they  are,  however,  useful  vessels,  being 
capable  of  containing  twenty  persons  with  their  luggage.  An 
elderly  man  officiates  as  steersman,  and  the  women  paddle,  but 
they  have  also  a  mast  which  carries  a  sail,  made  of  dressed  whale- 
gut.  #  . 

When  the  women  had  disposed  of  all  their  articles  of  trade 
they  resorted  to  entreaty ;  and  the  putting  in  practice  of  many 
enticing  gestures  was  managed  with  so  much  address,  as  to  pro- 
cure them  presents  of  a  variety  of  beads,  needles,  and  other 
articles  in  great  demand  among  females. 

It  is  probable  these  Esquimaux  go  from  this  shore  to  some  part 
of  Labrador  to  pass  the  winter,  as  parties  of  them  have  been  fre- 
quently seen  by  the  homeward-bound  Hudson's  Bay  ships  in  the 
act  of  crossing  the  Strait. 

They  appear  to  speak  the  same  language  as  the  tribe  of  Esqui- 
maux, who  reside  near  to  the  Moravian  settlements  in  Labrador ; 
for  we  perceiv^ed  they  used  several  of  the  words  which  had  be«n 
given  to  us  by  the  Missionaries  at  Stromness. 


i:? 


1! 


%- 


IS 


A  JOURNhV    10    rilK  SHORES 


.)!    hi 


Towards  evening,  the  Captain,  being  desirous  to  get  rid  of  his 
visitors,  took  an  effectual  method  by  tacking  from  the  shore  ;  our 
friends  then  departed  apparently  in  high  glee  at  the  harvest  they 
had  reaped.  They  paddled  away  very  swiftly,  and  would,  doubt* 
less,  soon  reach  the  shore,  though  it  was  distant  ten  or  twelve 
miles. 

Not  having  encountered  any  of  the  ice,  which  usually  arrests 
the  progress  of  ships  in  their  outward  passage  through  the  Straits, 
and  being  consequently  deprived  of  the  usual  means  of  replenish- 
ing our  stock  of  water,  which  had  become  short,  the  Captain 
resolved  on  going  to  the  coast  of  Labrador  for  a  supply.  Dr. 
Richardson  and  I  gladly  embraced  this  opportunity  to  land,  and 
examine  this  part  of  the  coast.  I  was  also  desirous  to  observe  the 
variation  on  shore,  as  the  azimuths  which  had  been  taken  on  board 
both  siiips  since  our  entrance  into  the  Straits,  had  shewn  a  greater 
amount  than  we  had  been  led  to  expect ;  but,  unluckily,  the  sun 
became  obscured.  The  beach  consisted  of  large  rolled  stones  of 
gneiss  and  sienite,  amongst  which  many  pieces  of  ice  had  ground- 
ed, and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we  effected  a  landing  in  a  small 
cove  under  a  steej)  cliff.  These  stones  were  worn  perfectly  smooth ; 
neither  in  the  interstices,  nor  at  the  bottom  of  the  water,  which 
was  very  clear,  were  there  any  vestiges  of  sea- weed. 

The  cliff  was  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  high  and  quite  perpendi- 
cular,'lind  had  at  its  base  a  small  slip  of  soil  formed  of  the  debris 
of  a  bed  of  clay-slate.  From  this  narrow  spot  Dr.Richardson  col- 
lected specimens  of  thirty  different  species  of  plants  ;  and  we  were 
about  to  scramble  up  a  shelving  part  of  the  rock,  and  go  into  the 
interior,  when  we  perceived  the  signal  of  recal,  which  the  master 
had  caused  to  be  made,  in  consequence  of  a  sudden  change  in  the 
appearance  of  the  weather. 

On  the  evening  of  the  19th,  we  passed  Digges'  Islands,  the  ter- 
mination of  Hudson's  Strait.  Here  the  Eddystone  parted  company, 
being  bound  to  Moose  Factory,  at  the  bottom  of  the  Bay^  A 
strong  north  wind  came  on,  which  prevented  our  getting  round 
the  north  end  of  Mansfield  ;  and,  as  it  continued  to  blow  with 
equal  strength  for  the  next  five  days  we  were  most  vexati- 
eusly  detained  in  beating  along  the  Labrador  coast,  and  near  the 


i 


■w.i 


OF    THE    POLAR    SLA. 


li- 


tet- 
any, 
A 
Dund 
with 
xati- 

thP 


■  3 

I 

it 


dangerous  chain  of  islands,  the  Sleepers,  which  are  said  to  extend 
from  the  latitude  of  60°  10'  to  57"  00'  N.  The  press  of  sail  which 
of  necessity  we  carried,  caused  the  leak  to  increase,  and  the  pumps 
were  kept  in  constant  use. 

A  favouring  wind  at  length  ^nabled  us,  on  the  25i.h,  to  shape 
our  course  across  Hudson's  Bay.  Nothing  worthy  of  remark  oc- 
curred during  this  passage,  except  the  rapid  decrease  in  the  varia- 
tion of  the  magnetic  needle,  which  will  be  seen  in  a  subsequent 
tftble,  together  with  the  positions  of  the  different  points  in  Hud- 
son's Straits ;  near  to  which  we  had  the  opportunity  of  getting 
observations.  The  few  remarks  respecting  the  appearance  of  the 
land,  which  we  were  able  to  make  in  our  quick  passage  through 
these  Straits,  were  transmitted  to  the  Admiralty  ;  but,  as  they  will 
not  be  interesting  to  the  general  reader,  and  may  not  be  sufficient- 
ly accurate  for  the  guidance  of  the  Navigator,  they  are  omitted  in 
this  narrative. 

On  the  28th  we  discovered  the  land  to  the  southward  of  Cape 
Tatnam,  which  is  so  ex'tremely  low,  that  the  tops  of  the  trees  were 
first  discerned  ;  the  soundings  at  the  time  were  seventeen  fathoms, 
which  gradually  decreased  to  five  as  the  shore  was  approached. 
Cape  Tatnam  is  not  otherwise  remarkable  than  as  being  the  point 
from  which  the  coast  inclines  rather  more  to  the  westward  to- 
wards York  Factory.  v  ,v  , 

The  opening  of  the  morning  of  the  30th  presented  to  oar  view 
the  anchorage  at  York  Flats,  and  the  gratifying  sight  of  a  vessel 
at  anchor,  which  we  recognized,  after  an  anxious  examination,  to 
be  the  Wear.  A  strong  breeze  blowing  from  the  direction  of  the 
Flats,  caused  the  water  to  be  more  shallow  than  usual  on  the 
sandy  bar,  which  lies  on  th©  seaward  side  of  the  anchorage,  and 
we  could  not  get  over  it  befere  two  P.  M.,  when  the  tide  was 
nearly  at  its  height. 

Immediately  after  our  arrival  Mr.  Williams,  the  Governor  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  posts,  came  on  board,  accompanied 
by  the  Commander  of  the  Wear.  The  pleasure  we  felt  in  wel- 
coming the  latter  gentleman  can  eastbr  be  imagined,  when  it  is 
considered  what  reason  we  had  for  the^pprehension  that  he  and 
his  crew  had  been  numbered  with  the  dead.     We  learnt  that  one 


i 


§& 


A    JOUllNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


V 


''■ 't 'il 


■:  ;i 


rji 


:l'-f 


% 


of  the  larger  masses  of  ice  had  providentially  drifted  between  the 
vessel's  side  and  the  rocks  just  at  the  time  he  expected  to  strike, 
to  which  he  secured  her  until  a  breeze  sprang  up  and  enabled  him 
to  pursue  his  voyage.  •   ' 

The  Governor  acquainted  me  that  he  had  received  information 
from  the  Committee  of  the  tludson's  Bay  Company  of  the  equip- 
ment of  the  Expedition,  and  that  the  officers  would  come  out  in 
the  first  ship.  In  the  evening  Dr.  Richardson,  Mr.  Hood,  and  I, 
accompanied  the  Governor  to  York  Factory,  which  we  reached 
after  dark ;  it  is  distant  from  the  Flats  seven  miles.  Early  next 
morning  the  Governor  conferred  the  honour  of  a  salute  on  the 
members  of  the  Expedition. 

Having  communicated  to  the  Governor  the  objects  of  the  Ex- 
pedition, and  that  I  had  been  directed  to  consult  with  him  and  the 
senior  servants  of  the  Company  as  to  the  best  mode  of  proceeding 
towards  the  execution  of  the  service,  I  was  gratified  by  his  assur- 
ance that  his  instructions  from  the  Committee  directed  that  every 
possible  assistance  should  be  given  to  forward  our  progress,  and 
that  he  should  feel  peculiar  pleasure  in  performing  this  part  of 
his  duty.  He  introduced  nie  at  once  to  Messrs.  Charles,  Swaine, 
and  Snodic,  masters  of  districts,  who,  from  long  residence  in 
the  country,  were  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  different  modes 
of  travelling  and  the  obstructions  which  might  be  anticipated. 
At  till  desire  of  these  gentlemen,  I  drew  up  a  series  of  questions 
on  the  points  on  which  we  required  information  ;  to  which  they 
had  the  kindness  to  return  very  explicit  and  satisfactory  answers 
two  days  afterwards;  and  on  receiving  them  I  requested  the 
Governor  to  favour  me  with  his  sentiments  on  the  same  subject 
in  writing,  which  he  delivered  to  me  on  the  following  day. 

Having  leai^ned  that  Messrs.  Shaw,  M'Tavish,  and  several 
other  partners  of  the  N.W.  Company,  were  under  detention  at 
this  place,  we  took  the  earliest  opportunity  of  visiting  them; 
when,  having  presented  the  general  circular,  and  other  introduc- 
tory letters,  with  which  I  had  been  furnished  by  their  agent  Mr. 
Simon  M'Gillivray,  we  received  from  them  the  most  friendly 
and  full  assurance  of  the  cordial  endeavours  of  the  wintering  part- 
pers  of  their  Company  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  Expedition. 


ofl 

in 

Col 

par 


OV   THE    POLAR    SEA. 


81 


[several 
Ition  at 

them; 

troduc- 

ht  Mr. 

[iendly 
part- 

Idition. 


The  knowledge  we  had  now  gained  of  the  state  of  the  violent 
commercial  opposition  existing  in  the  country,  rendered  this  as- 
surance highly  gratifying ;  and  these  gentlemen  added  to  the  ob- 
ligation by  freelj'^  communicating  the  information  respecting  the 
interior  of  the  country,  which  their  intelligence  and  long  resi- 
dence so  fully  qualified  them  to  give. 

I  deemed  it  expedient  to  issue  a  memorandum  to  the  officers 
of  the  Expedition,  strictly  prohibiting  any  interference  whatever 
in  the  existing  quarrels,  or  any  that  might  arise,  between  the  two 
Companies ;  and  on  presenting  it  to  the  principals  of  both  the 
parties,  they  expressed  their  satisfaction  at  the  step  I  had  taken. 

The  opinions  of  all  the  gentlemen  were  so  decidedly  in  favour 
of  the  route  by  Cumberland  House,  and  through  the  chain  of 
posts  to  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  that  I  determined  on  pursuing  it, 
and  immediately  communicated  my  intention  to  the  Governor, 
with  a  request  that  he  would  furnish  me  with  the  means  of  con- 
veyance for  the  party  as  speedily  as  possible. 

It  was  suggested  in  my  instructions,  that  we  might  probably 
procure  a  schooner  at  this  place,  to  proceed  north  as  far  as  Wa- 
ger Bay ;  but  the  vessel  alluded  to  was  lying  at  Moose  Factory, 
completely  out  of  repair ;  independently  of  which,  the  route 
directly  to  the  northward,  was  rendered  impracticable  by  the  im- 
possibility  of  procuring  hunters  and  guides  upon  the  coast. 

I  found  that  as  the  Esquimaux  inhabitants  had  left  Churchill  a 
month  previous  to  our  arrival,  no  interpreter  from  that  quarter 
could  be  procured  before  their  return  in  the  following  spring. 
The  Governor,  however,  undertook  to  forward  to  us  the  next 
season  the  only  one  amongst  them  who  understood  English,  if 
he  could  be  induced  to  go. 

The  Governor  selected  one  of  the  largest  of  the  Company's 
boats  for  our  use  on  the  journey,  and  directed  the  carpenters  to 
commence  refitting  it  immediately  ;  but  he  was  only  able  to  fur- 
nish us  with  a  steersman ;  and  we  were  obliged  to  make  up  the 
rest  of  the  crew  with  the  boatmen  brought  from  Stromness,  and 
our  two  attendants. 

York  Factory,  the  principal  depot  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, stands  on  the  west  bank  of  Hayes  River,  about  five  milee 


■I 


il* 


22 


A    JOURNtY    TO    THE    SHORLS 


i  ' 


;!: 


above  its  mouth,  on  the  murshy  peninsula  which  separates  the 
Hayes  and  Nelson  rivers.  The  surrounding  country  is  flat  and 
swampy,  and  covered  with  willows,  poplars,  larch,  spruce,  and 
birch  trees,  but  the  requisition  for  fuel  hrs  expended  all  the 
wood  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fort,  and  the  residents  have  now  to 
send  a  considerable  distance  for  this  necessary  material.  The  soil 
is  alluvial  clay  and  contains  imbedded  rolled  stones.  Though 
the  bank  of  the  river  is  elevated  about  twenty  feet,  it  is  frequent- 
ly overflown  by  the  spring  floods,  and  large  portions  of  it  are  an- 
nually carried  away  by  the  disruption  of  the  ice ;  by  these  por- 
tions grounding  in  the  stream,  several  muddy  islands  have  been 
formed.  These  interruptions,  together  with  the  various  collec- 
tions of  stones  that  are  hid  at  high  water,  render  the  navigation 
of  the  river  diflicult ;  but  vessels  of  two  hundred  tons  burthen 
iTiay  be  brought  through  the  proper  channels  as  high  as  the  Fac- 
tory. 

The  principal  buildings  are  placed  in  the  form  of  a  square, 
haying  an  octagonal  court  in  the  centre ;  they  are  two  stories  in 
height,  and  have  flat  roofs  covered  with  lead.  The  officers  dwell 
io  one  portion  of  this  square,  and  in  the  other  parts  the  articles 
of  merchandize  are  kept :  the  workshops,  storehouses  for  the 
furs,  and  the  servants'  houses,  are  ranged  on  the  outside  of  the 
square,  and  the  whole  is  surrounded  by  a  stockade  twenty  feet 
high.  A  platform  is  laid  from  the  house  to  the  pier  on  the  bank 
for  the  convenience  of  transporting  the  stones  and  furs,  which  is 
the  only  promenade  the  residents  have  on  this  marshy  spot  dur- 
ing the  summer  season.  The  few  Indians,  who  now  frequent 
this  establishment,  belong  to  the.  Stvampij  Crees.  There  were 
several  of  them  encamped  on  the  outside  of  the  stockade.  Their 
tents  were  rudely  constructed  by  tying  twenty  or  thirty  poles  to- 
gether at  the  top,  and  spreading  them  out  at  the  base  so  as  to 
form  a  cone ;  these  were  covered  with  dressed  moose-skins.  The 
fire  is  placed  in  the-  centre,  and  a  hole  is  left  for  the  escape  of  the 
smoke.  The  inmates  had  a  squalid  look,  and  were  sufiering  un- 
der the  combined  afflictions  of  hooping-cough  and  measles ;  but 
even  these  miseries  did  not  keep  them  from  an  excessive  indul- 
gence in  the  use  of  spirits,  which  they  unhappily  can  procure 


i     H 


r  ■ ;:! 


or    THE    l'OL\R    SEA. 


rates  the 
5  flat  and 
ucc,  and 
I  all  the 
5  now  to 
The  soil 

Though 
freqiient- 
it  are  an- 
hese  por- 
ave  been 
IS  coUec- 
avigation 
i  burthen 

the  Fac- 

a  square, 

stories  in 

ers  dwell 

i  articles 

for  the 

e  of  the 

nty  feet 

Ithe  bank 

which  is 

[pot  dur- 

frequent 

re  were 

Their 

oles  to- 

so  as  to 

ns.  The 

le  of  the 

■ing  un- 

es;  but 

indul- 

procure 


Irom  the  traders  with  two  much  facility  ;  and  they  ni<2,htly  sere- 
naded us  with  their  monotonous  drunken  songs.  Their  sickness, 
at  this  time,  was  particularly  felt  by  the  traders,  this  being  the 
season  of  the  year  when  the  exertion  of  every  hunter  is  required 
to  procure  their  winter's  stock  of  geese,  which  resort  in  im- 
mense flocks  to  the  extensive  flats  in  this  neij:;hbourhood.  These 
birds,  during  tiie  summer,  retire  far  to  the  north,  and  breed  in 
security  ;  but,  when  the  approach  of  winter  compels  them  to 
seek  a  more  southern  climate,  they  generally  alight  on  the 
marshes  of  this  bay  and  fatten  there  for  three  weeks  or  a  month, 
before  they  take  their  final  departure  from  the  country.  They 
.(Iso  make  a  short  halt  at  the  same  spots  in  their  progress  north- 
\vards  in  the  spring.  Their  arrival  is  welcomed  with  joy,  and 
the  period  of  the  goose  hunt  is  one  of  the  most  plentiful  sea- 
sons of  the  year.  Tiie  ducUs  frequent  the  swamps  all  the  sum- 
mer. 

The  weather  was  extremely  unfavourable  for  celestial  observa- 
tions during  our  stay,  and  it  was  only  by  watching  the  momen- 
tary appearances  of  the  sun,  that  we  were  enabled  to  obtain  fresh 
rates  for  the  chronometers,  and  allow  for  their  errors  from  Green- 
wich time.  The  dip  of  the  needle  was  observed  to  be  79°  29' 
07",  and  the  difference  produced  by  reversinpr  the  face  of  the  in- 
strument was  11°  3'  40".  A  succession  of  fresh  breezes  prevented 
our  ascertaining  the  intensity  of  the  magnetic  force.  The  posi' 
lion  of  York  Factory,  by  our  observations,  is  in  latitude  57^ 
00'  03"  N.,  longitude  98'  26'  W.  The  variation  of  the  comp.i«t 
>°00'  21"  E. 


• 


■4 


h.l 


^: 


.?/ 


t 


94 


A   JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


4' 


CHAPTER  II. 


I'assagc  ii|>  Hayes*,  StccI,  and  Hill  Rivers— Cross  Swampy  Lake— Jack  Iliyef 
— Kiii'o  Lake  ami  Ma},nictic  Islet— Trout  River— Holey  Lake — Weepina- 
paiinis  River— Windy  Lake— White-Fall  Lake  and  River— Echcmamis  and 
Lea  Rivers— I'lay-Ureen  Lakes— Lake  Winipeg— River  Saskatchawan- 
Cros.i,  Ccdur,  and  ['ine-lsland  Lakes — Cumberland  House. 


i 


i8iy.        g^ 
September.    UN  the  9\h  oi  September,  our  boat  being  completed, 

;irrang;emnnts  wore  made  for  our  {lej)arture  as  soon  as  the  tide 
should  serve.     Hut,  when  the  stores  were  brought  down  to  the 
beach,  it  was  found  that  ilin  boat  would  not  contain  them  all.  The 
whole,  therefore,  of  the  bacon,  and  part  of  the  flour,  rice,  tobacco, 
and  ammunition,  were  rclurned  into  the  store.     The  bacon  was 
too  bulky  an  article  lo  be  forwarded  under  any  circumstances; 
hut  the  Governor  undertook  to  forward  the  rest  next  season.     In 
making  the  selection  of  articles  to  carry  with  us,  I  was  guided  by 
the  judgment  of  Governor  Williams,  who  assured  me  that  to- 
bacco, ammunition,  and  spirits,  could  be  procured  in  the  interior, 
otherwise  I  should  have  been  very  unwilling  to  have  left  these 
essential  articles  behind.     We  embarked  at  noon,  and  were  ho- 
nouied  with  a  salute  of  (ilght  guns  and  three  cheers  from  the  Go- 
x'ernor  and  all  Iho.  inmates  of  the  fort,  assembled  to  witness  our 
departure.     We  gratefully  returned  their  cheers,  and  then  made 
sail,  much  delighted  at  having  now  commenced  our  voyage  into 
the  interior  of  America.    The  wind  and  tide  failing  us  at  the  dis- 
tance of  six  miles  above  the  Factory,  and  the  current  being  too 
rapid  for  using  oars  to  advantage,  the  crew  had  to  commence 
tracking,  or  dragging  the  boat  by  a  line,  to  which  they  were  har- 
nessed.    This  operation  is  extremely  laborious  in  these  rivers. 
Our  men  were  obliged  to  walk  along  the  steep  declivity  of  a  high 
bank,  rendered  at  this  season-soft  and  slippery  by  frequent  rains, 
find  their  progress  was  often  further  impeded  by  fallen  trees, 


\  • 


OF  THI".  POLAR  SEA. 


Of; 


Jack  nifCf 
-Weepina- 
■mamis  and 
acliawan— 


)mpleted, 
the  tide 
Arn  to  the 
.  all.  The 
1,  tobacco, 
)acon  was 
iistances ; 
tson.     Ill 
;uided  by 
that  to- 
interior, 
left  these 
were  ho- 
thc  Go- 
ness  our 
len  made 
ai^e  into 
the  dis- 
cing too 
Immence 
ere  har- 
rivers. 
f  a  high 
it  rains. 
In  trees, 


whiih,  liavinu;  hiippfd  iVoni  tho  vcr^o  of  the  thick  wood  above, 
hinii;  on  liin  I'aco  ol"  the  hatik  in  a  f;reat  variety  of  din^clions.  Not- 
withstaiidiiis;  these  obstacles,  however,  wc  advauv'ed  at  the  rate 
of  two  miles  an  hour,  one-half  of  Ihe  c»'c\v  rehovini;  the  oilier  at 
intervals  of  an  hour  and  a  half.  The  biin!;^^  of  the  river,  and  its 
islands,  composed  of  alluvial  t-oii,  are  well  covered  with  pines, 
larches,  j)oplars,  and  willows.  The  breadlh  of  the  sin  am  some 
distance  above  the  Factory  is  about  half  a  mile,  and  its  depth 
durinj^  this  day's  voya:;e  varied  iVoni  ibrec  to  nine  fiet. 

At  sunset  we  landed,  and  j)itchod  the  tent  for  the  niu;iil,  having 
made  a  progress  of  twelve  miles.  A  large?  fire  was  quickly  kin- 
dled, sujiper  speedily  prepared,  and  as  readily  despatcheil,  when 
we  retired  with  our  bullalo  robes  on,  and  enjoyoil  a  night  of  sound 
repose.  • 

It  may  here  be  stated  that  the  survi^y  of  the  river  was  made  by 
taking  the  bearings  of  every  point  with  a  pocket  compass,  esti- 
mating the  distances,  and  making  a  connecttvl  eye-sketch  of  the 
whole.  This  part  of  the  survey  was  allotted  to  Messrs.  15ack  and 
Hood  conjointly:  Mr.  Hood  also  protracted  the  route  erery  even- 
ing on  a  ruled  map,  after  the  couiies  and  distances  had  been  cor- 
rected by  obsei'N'aliuns  tor  latitude  and  longitude,  taken  by  my- 
self as  often  as  the  weather  would  allow.  The  extraordinary  ta- 
lent of  this  young  ofllcer  in  this  line  of  service  proved  of  the 
greatest  advantage  to  the  Expedition,  and  he  continued  to  per- 
form that  duty  until  his  lamented  death,  with  a  degree  of  Zealand 
accuracy  that  characterized  all  his  pursuits. 

The  next  morning  our  camp  was  in  motion  at  five  A.M.,  and 
we  soon  afterwards  embarked  with  the  flattering  accompaniment 
of  a  fair  wind  :  it  proved,  however,  too  light  to  enable  us  to  stem 
the  stream,  and  we  were  obliged  to  resume  the  fatiguing  operation 
of  tracking,  sometimes  under  cliifs  so  steep  that  the  men  could 
scarcely  find  a  footing,  and  not  unfrequently  over  spots  rendered 
so  miry,  by  the  small  streams  that  trickled  from  above,  as  to  be 
almost  impassable.  In  the  rourst;  of  the  tlay  we  passed  the  scene 
of  a  very  melancholy  accident.  Some  years  ago,  two  families  of 
Indians,  induced  by  the  flatness  oLa  small  beach,  which  lay  be- 
twixt the  cliif  and  the;  river,  chose  it  as  the  site  of  their  encamp- 


l.-k 


!'"iil 


urn 


.r     ■< 


hi 


■111) 
It 


»  i 


■  If 

i 


'■■ii 


# 


36 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


ment.  Tliey  retired  quietly  to  vost,  not  aware  that  the  precipice, 
detached  from  the  bank,  and  urged  by  an  accumulation  of  water 
in  the  crevice  liehind,  was  tottering  to  its  base.  It  fell  during  the 
night,  and  the  whole  party  was  buried  under  its  ruins. 

The  length  of  our  voyage  to-day  was,  in  a  direct  line,  sixteen 
miles  and  a  quarter,  on  a  S.S.W.  course.  We  encamped  soon  af- 
ter sunset,  and  the  tent  was  scarcely  pitched  when  it  began  to  rain 
heavily,  and  continued  to  do  so  all  night. 

Sixteen  miles  on  the  11th,  and  five  on  the  following  morning, 
brought  us  to  the  commencement  of  Hayes'  River,  wnichis  form- 
ed by  the  confluence  of  the  Shamattawa  and  Steel  Rivers.  Our 
observations  place  this  spot  in  latitude  56°  22'  32"  N.,  longitude 
jjgo  J,  2^,,  Y^  jj  jg  forty-eight  miles  and  a  half  from  York  Fac- 
tory, including  the  windings  of  the  river.  Steel  River,  through 
which  our  course  lay,  is  about  three  hundred  yards  wide  at  its 
mouth ;  its  banks  have  more  elevation  than  those  of  Hayes'  River, 
but  they  shelve  more  gradually  down  to  tlie  stream,  and  afford  u 
tolerably  good  towing  path,  which  compensates,  in  some  degree, 
for  the  rapids  and  frequent  shoals  that  impede  its  navigation. 
We  succeeded  in  getting  about  ten  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  before  the  close  of  day  compelled  us  to  disembark. 

We  made  an  effort,  on  the  morning  of  the  13th,  to  stem  tlie 
current  undei  sail,  but  as  the  course  of  the  river  was  very  serpen- 
tine, we  found  that  greater  progress  could  be  made  by  tracking. 
Steel  River  presents  much  beautiful  scenery ;  it  winds  through 
a  narrow,  but  well-wooded,  valley,  which  at  every  turn  disclosed 
to  Uf  an  agreeable  variety  of  prospect,  rendered  more  picturesque 
by  the  effect  of  the  season  on  the  foliage,  now  ready  to  drop  from 
the  trees.  The  light  yellow  of  the  fading  poplars  formed  a  fine 
contrast  to  the  dark  evergreen  of  the  spruce,  whilst  the  willows, 
of  an  intermediate  hue,  served  to  shade  the  two  principal  masses 
of  colour  into  each  other.  The  scene  was  occasionally  enlivened 
by  the  bright  purple  tints  of  the  dogwood,  blended  with  the 
browner  shades  of  the  dwarf  birch,  and  frequently  intermixed 
with  the  gay  yellow  flowers  of  liie  shrubby  cinqucfoil.  With  ail 
these  charms,  the  scene  appeared  desolate  from  the  want  of  the 
!)uman  species.     The  stillness  was  so  great,  that  even  the  twit- 


■;  t 


''-•:;i! 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


s: 


recipice, 
of  water 

iring  the 

,  sixteen 

soon  af- 

n  to  rain 

morning, 
I  is  form- 

rs.    Our 

ongitude 

ork  Fac- 

through         , 

ide  at  its        | 

!s'  River, 

1  afford  a 

B  degree, 

ivigation. 

th  of  the         1 

'.1 

stem  tlie         \ 

(T  serpen- 
tracking.         | 

through         1 
[lisclosed        | 

turesque        % 
'op  from         j 
ed  a  fine         | 
willows,        1 

1  masses       J 

nlivened      M 

vith  the      m 

ermixed      I 

With  all     1 

t  of  the      1 

he  twit-      ■ 

tering  of  the  IVhiskey-johneesh,  or  cinereous  crow,  caused  us  ti> 
start.     Our  voyage  to-day  was  sixteen  mdes  on  a  S.W.  course. 

Sept.  14. — We  had  much  rain  during  the  night,  and  also  in  the 
morning,  which  detained  us  in  o\ir  encampment  later  than  usual. 
We  set  out  as  soon  as  the  weather  cleared  up,  and  in  a  short  time 
arrived  pt  the  head  of  Steel  River,  whore  it  is  formed  by  the 
junction  of  Fox  and  Hill  Rivers.  These  two  rivers  are  nearly  of 
equal  width,  but  the  latter  is  the  most  rapid.  Mr.  M'Donald, 
on  his  way  to  Red  River,  in  a  small  canoe,  manned  by  two  In- 
dians, overtook  us  at  this  place.  It  may  be  mentioned  as  a  prool 
of  the  dexterity  of  the  Indians,  and  the  skill  with  which  they 
steal  upon  their  game,  that  they  had  on  the  preceding  day,  with 
no  other  arms  than  a  hatchet,  killed  two  deer,  a  hawk,  a  curlew, 
faid  a  sturgeon.  Three  of  the  Company's  boats  joined  us  in  the 
course  of  the  morning,  and  we  pursued  our  course  up  Hill  River 
in  company.  The  water  in  this  river  wet  so  low,  and  the  rapids 
so  bad,  that  we  were  obliged  several  times,  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  to  jump  into  the  water,  and  assist  in  lifting  the  boat  over 
the  large  stones  which  impeded  the  navigation.  The  length  of 
our  voyage  to-day  was  only  six  miles  and  three  quarters. 

The  four  boats  commenced  operations  together  at  five  o'clock 
the  following  morning  ;  but  our  boat  being  overladen,  we  soon 
found  that  we  were  unable  to  keep  pace  with  the  others ;  and 
therefore  proposed  to  the  gentlemci  in  charge  of  the  Company's 
boats,  that  they  should  relieve  us  of  part  of  our^cargo.  This  they 
declined  doing,  under  the  plea  of  not  having  rece;  "ed  orders  to 
that  effect,  notwithstanding  that  the  circular,  with  which  I  was 
furnished  by  Governor  Williams,  strictly  enjoined  all  the  Com" 
pany's  servants  to  afford  us  every  assistance,  fn  consequence  of 
this  refusal  we  dropt  behind,  and  our  steersman,  who  was  inex- 
perienced, being  thus  deprived  of  the  advantage  of  observing  the 
route  followed  by  the  guide,  who  was  in  the  foremost  boat,  fre- 
quently took  a  wroijg  channel.  The  tow-line  broke  twice,  and 
the  boat  was  only  prevented  from  going  broadside  down  the 
stream,  and  breaking  to  pieces  against  the  stones,  by  the  officers 
and  men  leaping  into  the  water,  and  holding  hpr  head  to  the  cur- 
rent until  the  line  could  be  carried  again  to  the  shore.    It  is  but 


un 


>        rii! 


1 1 


•1 


if  lis 


h  :J' 


m 


:ih. 


1.1 


A   JOUIINKY   TO    rilK   SiIORif. 


that  in  th( 


leceived 


trying  situations  v 
assistance  from  Mr.  Thomas  Swayne,  who  with  great  kindness 
waited  for  us  with  the  boat  under  his  charj>-e,  at  such  places  as  he 
apprehended  would  be  most  difficult  to  pass.  We  encamped  at 
sunset,  completely  jaded  with  toil.  Our  distance  made  good  this 
day  was  twelve  miles  and  a  quarter. 

IJhe  labours  of  the  16th  commenced  at  half  past  five,  and  for 
some  time  the  difficulty  of  getting  the  boats  over  the  rapids  was 
equal  to  what  we  experienced  yesterday.  Having  passed  a  small 
brook,  however,  termed  Half-way  Creek,  the  river  became 
deeper,  and  although  rapid,  it  was  smooth  enough  to  be  named 
by  our  Orkney  boatmen  Siill-water.  We  were  further  relieved 
by  the  Company's  clerks  consenting  to  take  a  few  boxes  of  our 
stores  into  their  boats.  Still  we  made  only  eleven  miles  in  the 
course  of  the  day. 

The  banks  of  Hill  River  are  higher,  and  1  \  ^  :i.ore  broken 
outline,  than  those  of  Steel  or  Hayes'  Rivers.  The  cliffs  of  allu- 
vial clay  rose  in  some  places  to  the  height  of  eighty  or  ninety 
feet  above  the  stream,  and  were  surmounted  by  hills  about  two 
hundred  feet  high,  but  the  thickness  of  the  wood  prevented  us 
from  seeing  far  beyond  the  mere  banks  of  the  river. 

September  17. — About  half  past  five  in  the  morning  we  com- 
menced tracking,  and  soon  came  to  a  ridge  of  rock  which  ex- 
tended across  the  stream.  From  this  place  the  boat  was  dragged 
up  several  narrow  rocky  channels,  until  wa  came  to  the  Rock- 
Portage,  where  the  stream,  pent  in  by  a  range  of  small  isl.ui.l'., 
forms  several  cascades.  In  ascenolng  the  river,  the  bor'  ^'"fl 
their  cargoes  are  carried  over  one  of  the  islands,  but  in  the  t  n  u, 
they  arc  shot  down  the  most  shelving  of  the  cascades.  Hav.  i. 
performed  the  operations  of  carrying,  launching  and  re-stowing 
the  cargo,  we  plied  the  oars  for  a  short  distance  and  landed  at  a 
depot  called  Rock-House.  Here  we  were  informed  that  the  ra- 
pids in  the  upper  parts  of  Hill  River  were  much  worse  and  more 
numerous  than  those  we  had  passed,  particularly  in  the  present 
season,  owing  to  the  unusual  lowness  of  the  water.  Th-s  intel- 
ligence was  very  mortifying,  especially  as  the  gentlemei'  i :  "harge 
of  the  Company's  boats  declared  that  they  were  unable  to  rar^y 


:l 


1 


OF  THC  POLAR  SEA. 


29 


ed  much 
kindness 
tces  as  he 
lamped  at 
good  til  is 

!,  and  for 
apids  was 
id  a  small 
r  became 
be  named 
•  relieved 
:es  of  our 
les  in  the 

re  broken 
Ts  of  allu- 
or  ninety 
about  two 
rented  us 

we  coni- 
vhich  cx- 
>  dragged 
le  Rock- 

[1  island  J., 
''•'fl. 


«$ 


any  part  of  our  stores  beyond  this  place  ;  and  the  traders,  guides, 
and  most  experienced  of  the  boatmen,  w*)re  of  opinion,  that  un- 
less our  boat  was  still  further  lightened,  the  winter  would  put  a 
stop  to  our  progress  before  we  could  reach  Cumberland  House,  or 
any  eligible  post.  Sixteen  pieces  were  therefore  necessarilj'  left 
with  Mr.  liunn,  the  gentleman  in  charge  of  the  post,  to  be  for- 
warded by  the  Athabasca  canoes  next  season,  this  being  their 
place  of  rendezvous. 

After  this  we  recommenced  our  voyage,  and  having  pulled 
nearly  a  mile,  arrived  at  Borrowick's  Fall,  where  the  boat  was 
dragged  up  with  a  line,  after  part  of  tlie  cargo  had  been  carried 
over  a  small  portage.  From  this  place  to  the  Mud  Portage,  a 
distance  of  a  mile  and  three  quarters,  the  boats  were  pushed  on 
with  poles  against  a  very  rapid  stream.  Here  we  encamped,  hav- 
ing come  seven  miles  during  the  day  on  a  S.W.  course.  Wc  had 
several  snow  showers  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  the  thermome- 
ter at  bed-time  stood  at  30". 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th,  the  country  was  clothed  in  the 
livery  of  winter,  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  having  taken  place  during 
the  night.  We  embarked  at  the  usual  hour,  and,  in  the  course  of 
the  day,  crossed  the  Point  of  Rocks  and  Brassa  Portages,  and 
dragged  the  boats  through  several  minor  rapids.  In  this  tedious 
way  we  only  made  good  about  nine  miles.  . 

On  Sunday  the  19th  we  hauled  the  boats  up  several  short  rapids, 
or,  as  the  boatmen  term  them,  expressively  enough,  spouts,  and 
carried  them  over  the  Portages  of  Lower  Burntvvood  and  Mor- 
gan's Rocks ;  on  the  latter  of  which  we  encamped,  having  pro- 
ceeded, during  the  whole  day,  only  one  mile  and  three  quarters. 

The  upper  part  of  Hill  River  swells  out  considerably,  and  at 
Morgan's  Rocks,  where  it  is  three  quarters  of  a  mile  wide,  we 
were  gratified  with  a  more  extensive  prospect  of  the  country  than 
any  we  had  enjiyed  since  leaving  York  Factory.  The  banks  of 
the  river  here,  consisting  of  low  flat  rocks  with  intermediate 
swamps,  permitted  us  to  obtain  views  of  the  interior,  the  surface 
of  which  is  broken  into  a  multitude  of  cone-shaped  hills.  The 
highest  of  these  hills,  which  gives  a  name  to  the  river,  has  an  eleva- 
tion not  exceeding  six  hundred  feet.     From  its  summit,  thirty-six 


30 


A     .rOURNKY    TO    THF.    SHORI.i 


-^a 


1; 


ir. 


■I  n 


If;      |1: 


lako«  arc  said  to  In;  visible.  The  beauty  of  the  scenery,  drcsacd 
ill  the  lints  of  autumn,  called  lurth  our  admiration,  and  was  the 
subject  of  Mr.  Iluod's  accurate  pencil.  On  the  2()th  wc  passed 
Uj)pcr  IJurntvvood  and  llocky  J^ed^c  Portapjcs,  besides  several 
stroni;  spcmts ;  and  in  the  evening  arrived  at  Smooth  Rock  Port- 
age, where  we  encamped,  havinj;-  come  three  miles  an;l  a  half.  It 
is  not  easy  for  any  but  an  eye-witness  to  form  an  adcfjuate  idea 
of  the  exertions  of  the  Orkney  boatmen  in  the  navipjalion  of  this 
river.  The  necessity  they  are  under  of  froquenlly  jumpin-!;  into 
the  water  to  lift  the  boats  over  the  rocks,  (;(»iii[)els  them  to  remain 
the  whole  day  in  wet  clolhes,  at  a  season  vvjk  n  tlin  tem|V'rature  is 
far  below  the  freezing  point.  The  immenie  loads  too,  which  they 
carry  over  the  porlaa;cs,  is  not  more  a  matter  of  smpri-jc  than  tlie 

•rily  with  which  they  perform  these  laborious  duties. 

\t  six  on  the  morning  of  the  21st,  we  left  our  encampment, 
,ind  soon  after  arrived  at  the  Mossy  I'ortaj^c,  where  the  carjj;oes 
were  carried  through  a  deep  bog  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  The 
river  swells  out,  above  this  portage,  to  tJic  breadth  of  several 
miles,  and  as  the  islands  are  numerous  there  are  a  great  variety 
of  channels.  Night  overtook  us  before  we  arrived  at  tht;  Second 
Portage^  so  named  from  its  being  the  second  in  the  passage 
down  the  river.  Our  whole  distance  this  day  was  one  mile  and 
a  quarter. 

On  the  22d  our  route  led  us  amongst  many  wooded  islands, 
which  lying  in  long  vistas,  produced  scenes  of  much  beauty.  In 
the  course  of  the  day  wc  crossed  the  Upper  Postage,  surmounted 
the  Devil's  Landing  Place,  and  urged  the  boat  with  poles  through 
Groundwater  Creek.  At  the  upper  end  of  this  creek,  our  bowman 
having  given  the  boat  too  broad  a  sheer,  to  avoid  the  rock,  it  was 
caught  on  the  broadside  by  the  current,  and,  in  defiance  of  our 
utmost  exertions,  hurried  down  the  rapid.  Fortunately,  however, 
it  grounded  against  a  rock  high  enough  to  prevent  the  current 
from  oversetting  it,  and  the  crews  of  the  other  boats  having  come 
to  our  assistance,  we  succeeded,  after  several  trials,  in  throwing  a 
rope  to  them,  with  which  they  dragged  our  almost  sinking  vessel 
stern  foremost  up  the  stream,  and  rescued  us  from  our  ]7erilous 
situation.    We  encamped  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening  amidst  a 


I 


l\  i'' 


or  THE  por.An  ska 


ff  dressed 
I  was  the 
/c  passed 
)S  several 
ock  Port- 
bair.  It. 
juate  idea 
on  of  thifi 
ipin-i;  into 
lo  remain 
vTature  is 
iluch  they 
c  tlian  the 

.ampmcnt, 
lie  carfe;oes 
lile.  The 
of  several 
!at  variety 
h(;  Second 
|ie  passage 
mile  and 

\i\  islands, 
iaiity.  In 
irmounted 
\h  through 
howman 
;k,  it  was 
Ice  of  our 
however, 
|e  current 
ing  come 
irowing  a 
Ing  vessel 
}7tirilous 
amidst  a 


0i 


heavy  thunder-storm,   having  advanced    two   miles   and    three 
quarters. 

Ahout  ten  in  tlie  mornini:  of  the  23d,  we  arrived  at  the  Dram- 
stonc,  which  is  hailed  with  pleasure  hy  the  boats'  crews,  as  mark- 
ing the  iermination  of  the  lahoriotis  ascetit  of  Hill  Iliver.  Wc 
complied  with  the  custom  from  whcmcc  it  derives  its  name,  and 
soon  after  landing  upon  Sail  Island  prepared  breakfast.  In  the 
mean  time  our  hoatmeji  cut  down  and  rigged  a  new  mast,  the  old 
one  having  been  thrown  overboard  at  the  mouth  of  Steel  River, 
where  it  ceased  to  be  useful.  We  left  Sail  Island  with  a  fair  wind, 
and  soon  afterwards  arrived  at  a  depot  situated  on  Swampy  Lake, 
where  we  received  a  supply  of  moiddy  pemviican*  Mr.  Calder 
and  his  attendant  were  the  only  tenants  of  this  cheerless  abode,  and 
their  only  food  was  the  wretched  stuff  with  which  they  supplied 
us,  the  lake  not  yielding  fish  at  this  season.  After  a  short  delay 
at  this  post,  we  sailed  through  the  remainder  of  Swampy  Lake, 
and  slept  at  the  Lower  Portage  in  .lack  River  ;  the  distance  sailed 
to-day  being  sixteen  miles  and  a  half. 

.lack  River  is  only  eight  miles  long;  but  being  full  of  had  ra- 
pids, it  detained  us  considerably.  At  seven  in  the  morning  of  the 
y4th,  we  crossed  the  Long  Portage,  where  the  woods,  having 
caught  fire  in  the  summer,  were  slill  smoking.  This  is  a  common 
accident,  owing  to  the  neglect  of  the  Indians  and  voyagers  in  not 
putting  out  their  fires,  and  in  a  dry  season  the  woods  may  be  seen 
blazing  to  the  extent  of  many  miles.  Wc  afterwards  crossed  the 
Second,  or  Swampy  Portage,  and  in  the  evening  encamped  on  the 
Upper  Portage,  where  we  wefc  overtaken  by  arj  Indian  bringing 
an  answer  from  Governor  Williams  to  a  letter  I  had  written  to 
him  on  the  15th,  in  which  he  renewed  his  injunctions  to  the  gen- 
tlemen of  the  boats  accompanying  us,  to  afford  us  every  assistance 
in  4l;eir  power.  Tlu;  Aurora  Boreal  is  appeared  this  evening  in 
form  of  a  bright  arch,  extending  across  the  zenith  in  a  N.W.  and 
S.E.  direction.     The  extent  of  our  voyage  to-day  was  two  miles. 

Ahout  noon  on  the  25th  we  entered  Knee  Lake,  which  has  a 
very  irregular  i'orm,  and  near  its  middle  takes  a  sudden  turo; 

*  UuH'itlo  meat^  dried  an'!  pounde-l,  jind  mixed  wiUi  melted  fat. 


f» 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


i 


■  1.  m 


'J' 


liini 


from  whence  it  derives  its  name.  It  is  thickly  studded  with 
islands,  and  its  shores  are  low  and  well-wooded.  The  surrounding 
country,  as  far  as  we  could  see,  is  flat,  being  destitute  even  of  the 
moderate  elevations  which  occur  near  the  upper  part  of  Hill 
River.  The  weather  was  remarkably  fine,  and  the  setting  sun 
threw  the  richest  tints  over  the  scene  that  I  remember  to  have 
witnessed. 

About  half  a  mile  from  the  bend  oi'  knee  of  the  lake,  there  is  a 
small  rocky  islet,  composed  of  magnetic  iron  ore,  which  affects 
the  magnetic  needle  at  a  considerable  distance.     Having  received 
previous  information  respecting  this  circumstance,  we  watched  our 
compasses  carefully,  and  perceived  that  they  were  aft'ected  at  the 
distance  of  three  hundred  yards,  both  on  the  approach  to  and  de- 
parture from  the  rock  :  on  decreasing  the  distance,  they  became 
gradually  more  and  more  unsteady,  and  on  landing  they  were  ren- 
dered quite  useless;  and  it  was  evident  that  the  general  magnetic 
influence  wns  totally  overpowered  by  the  local  attraction  of  the 
ore.     When  Kater's  compass  was  held  near  to  the  ground  on  the 
N.W.  side  of  the  island,  the  needle  dipped  so  much  that  the  card 
could  not  be  made  to  traverse  by  an)'  adjustment  of  the  hand  ;  but 
on  moving  the  same  compass  about  thirty  yard?  to  the  west  part 
of  the  islet,  the  needle  became  horizontal,  trpversed  freely,  and 
pointed  to  the  magnetic  north.     The  dipping  needle  being  landed 
on  the  vS.W.  point  of  the  islet,  was  adjusted  as  nearly  as  possible 
on  the  magnetic  meridian  by  the  sun's  bearings,  and  found  to 
vibrate  freely,  v^'hen  the  face  of  the  instrument  was  directed  to 
the  east  or  west.     The  mean  dip  it  gave  was  80°  37'  50".     When 
the  instrument  wa«  removed  from  the  N.W.  to  the  S.JL  point, 
about  twenty  yards  distant,  and  placed  on  the  meridian,  the  needle 
ceased  to  traverse,  but  remained  steady  at  an  angle  of  60'^.     On 
changing  the  face  of  the  instrument,  so  as  to  give  a  S.E.  and  N.W. 
direction  to  the  needle,  it  hung  vertically.     The  position  of  the 
slaty  strata  of  the  magnetic  ore  is  also  vertical.     Their  direction 
is  extremely  irregular,  being  much  contorted. 

Knee  Lake  towards  its  upper  end  becomes  narrower,  and  its 
rocky  shores  are  broken  into  conical  and  rounded  eminences,  des- 
titute of  soil,  and  of  course  devoid  of  trees.     W^e  slept  at  tho 


(i    ■       ■■  i 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


33 


led  with 
rounding 
en  of  the 
;  of  Hill 
Lting  sun 
to  have 


there  is  a 
ch  affects 
received 
tched  our 
:ed  at  the 
a  and  de- 
\f  became 
were  ren- 
magnetic 
on  of  the 
nd  on  the 
it  the  card 
land ;  but 
west  part 
•eely,  and 
Ins  landed 
s  possible 
found  to 
rected  to 
When 
,E.  point, 
,he  needle 
fiO'^.     On 
.nd  N.W. 
n  of  the 
direction 


western  extremity  of  the  lake,  having  come  during  the  day  nine- 
teen miles  and  a  half  on  a  S.W.  course. 

We  began  the  ascent  of  Trout  River  early  in  the  morning  of 
the  27th,  and  in  the  course  of  the  day  passed  three  portages  and 
several  rapids.  At  the  ftret  of  these  portages  the  liver  falls  be- 
tween two  rocks  about  sixteen  feet,  and  it  is  necessary  to  launch 
the  boat  over  a  precipitous  rocky  6ank.  This  cascade  is  named 
the  Trout-Fall^  and  the  beauty  of  the  scenery  afforded  a  subject 
for  Mr.  Hood's  pencil.  The  rocks  which  form  the  bed  of  this 
river  are  slaty,  and  present  sharp  fragments,  by  which  the  feet  of 
the  boatmen  are  much  lacerated.  The  Second  Portage,  in  particu- 
lar, obtains  the  expressive  name  of  Knife  Portage.  The  length 
of  our  voyage  to-day  was  three  miles. 

On  the  28ih,  we  passed  through  the  remainder  of  Trout  River; 
and,  at  noon,  arrived  at  Oxford  House,  on  Holey  Lake.  This  was 
formerly  a  post  of  some  consequence  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, but  at  present  it  exhibits  unequivocal  signs  of  decay.  The 
Indians  have  of  late  years  been  gradually  deserting  the  low  or 
swampy  country,  and  ascending  the  Saskatchawan,  where  animals 
are  more  abundant.  A  few  Crees  were  at  this  time  encamped  in 
front  of  the  fort.  They  were  suffering  under  the  combined  mala- 
dies of  hooping-cough  and  measles,  and  looked  miserably  deject- 
ed. We  endeavoured  in  vain  to  prevail  on  one  of  them  to  accom- 
pany us  for  the  purpose  of  killing  diicks,  which  were  numerous, 
but  too  shy  for  our  sportsmen.  We  had  the  satisfaction,  however, 
of  exchanging  the  mouldy  pemmican,  obtained  at  Swampy  Lake, 
for  a  better  kind,  and  received,  moreover,  a  small,  but  very  ac- 
ceptable, supply  of  fish.  Holey  Lake,  viewed  from  an  eminence 
behind  Oxford  House,  exhibits  a  pleasing  prospect;  and  its  nu- 
merous islands,  varying  much  in  shape  and  elevation,  contribute 
to  break  that  uniformity  of  scenery  which  proves  so  jialling  to  a 
traveller  in  this  country.  Trout  of  a  great  size,  frequently  ex- 
ceeding forty  pounds  weight,  abound  in  this  lake.  We  left  Ox- 
ford House  in  the  afternoon,  and  encamped  on  an  island  about 
eight  miles  distant,  having  come,  during  the  day,  nine  miles  and 
u  quarter. 

'  At  noon,  on  the  29th,  after  passing  through  the  remainder  of 

K 


:h 


A   JOURNLY  TO  Till:  SllOUCS 


M  ■ 


■# 


l:>  m 


i 


\\'' 


Holey  Lake,  we  entered  the  Wecpinapannis,  a  narrow  grassy 
liver,  which  runs  parallel  to  the  lake  lor  a  considerable  distance, 
and  forms  its  south  bank  into  a  narrow  peninsula.  In  the  morning 
^\c  arrived  at  the  Swaniny  Portap;e,  wiiere  two  of  the  boats  were 
broken  against  the  rocks.  The  length  of  the  day's  voyage  was 
nineteen  miles  and  a  half. 

In  consequence  of  the  accident  yesterday  evening,  we  were  de- 
tained a  considerable  time  this  morning,  until  the  boats  were  re- 
paired, when  we  set  out,  and,  after  ascending  a  strong  rapid,  ar- 
rived at  the  Portage  by  John  Moore's  Island.  Here  the  river 
rushes  with  irresistible  force  through  the  channels  formed  by  two 
rocky  islands ;  and  we  learnt,  that  last  year  a  poor  man,  in  hauling 
a. boat  up  one  of  these  channels,  was,  by  the  breaking  of  the  line, 
precipitated  into  the  stream  and  hurried  down  the  cascade  with 
such  rapidity,  that  all  efforts  to  save  him  were  ineffectual.  His 
body  was  afterwards  found  and  interred  near  the  sjjot. 

The  Weepinapannis  is  composed  of  several  branches  which  se- 
parate and  unite,  again  and  again,  intersecting  the  country  in  a 
great  variety  of  directions.  We  pursued  the  principal  channel, 
and  having  passed  the  Crooked  Spout,  with  several  inferior  rapids, 
and  crossed  a  small  piece  of  watei",  named  Windy  Lake,  we  en- 
tered a  smooth  deep  stream  about  three  hundred  yards  wide,  which 
has  got  the  absurd  appellation  of  the  Rabbit  Ground.  The  marshy 
banks  of  this  river  arc  skirted  by  low  barren  rucks,  behind  which 
there  are  some  groups  of  stunted  trees.  As  we  advanced,  the 
country  becoming  flatter,  gradually  opened  to  our  view,  and  vve  at 
length  arrived  at  a  shallow,  reedy  l^ke,  the  direct  course  through 
which  leads  to  the  Hill  Portage.  This  route  has,  however,  of  late 
years  been  disused,  and  we  therefore  turned  towards  the  north, 
and  crossing  a  small  arm  of  the  lake,  arrived  at  Hill  Gates  by 
sunset;  having  come  this  day  eleven  miles. 

October  1. — Hill  Gates  is  the  name  imposed  on  a  romantic  de- 
file, whose  rocky  walls  rising  penpendicularly  to  the  height  of 
sixty  or  eighty  feet,  hem  in  the  stream  for  three  quarters  of  a 
mile,  in  many  places  so  narrowly,  that  there  is  a  want  of  room  to 
ply  the  oars.  In  passing  througli  this  chasm  we  were  naturally 
led  to  contemplate  the  mighty  but,  probably,  slow  and  gradual 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


35 


V  grassy 
ilistancuy 
murtung 
ats  were 
;age  was 

were  ile- 
wcre  re- 
jpid,  ar- 
;he  river 
1  by  two 
1  hauling 
tiie  line, 
ade  with 
lal.     His 

vhich  se- 
ntry in  a 
channel, 
r  rapids, 
we  en- 
e,  which 
marshy 
d  which 
ced,  the 
nd  vve  at 
through 
of  late 
north, 
ates  by 

ntic  de- 
iight  of 
!rs  of  a 
room  to 
iturally 
gradual 


^1 


effects  of  the  water  in  wearing  down  such  vast  masses  of  rock ; 
but  in  the  midst  of  our  speculations,  the  attention  was  excited 
anew  to  a  grand  and  picturesque  rapid,  which,  surrounded  by  iho 
most  wild  and  majestic  scenery,  terminated  the  defde.  The 
brown  fishing-eagle  had  built  its  nest  on  one  of  the  projecting 
cliffs.  In  the  course  of  the  day  we  surmounted  this  and  another 
dangerous  |)ortage,  called  the  Upper  and  Lower  Hill  Gate  Port- 
ages, crossed  a  small  sheet  of  water,  termed  the  White-Fall  I^ke, 
and  entering  the  river  of  the  same  name,  arrived  at  the  While  Fall 
about  an  hour  after  si!n*",et,  having  come  fourteen  miles  onaS.W. 
course. 

The  whole  of  the  2d  of  October  was  spent  in  carrying  the  car- 
goes over  a  portage  of  thirteen  hundretl  yards  in  length,  and  in 
launching  the  empty  boats  over  three  several  ridges  of  rock  which 
obstruct  the  channel  and  produce  as  many  cascades.  I  shall  long 
remember  the  rude  and  characteristic  wildness  of  the  scenery 
which  surrounded  these  falls;  rocks  piled  on  rocks  hung  in  rude 
and  shapeless  masses  over  the  agitated  torrents  which  swept  their 
bases,  whilst  the  bright  and  vuriegatod  tints  of  the  mosses  and 
lichens,  that  covered  the  face  of  the  cliffs,  contrasting  with  the 
dark  green  of  the  pines,  which  crowned  their  summits,  added 
both  beauty  and  grandeur  to  the  general  effect  of  the  scene.  Our 
two  companions.  Back  and  Hood,  made  accurate  sketches  of  these 
falls.  At  this  place  we  observed  a  conspicuous  lop-sticky  a  kind 
of  land-mark,  which  I  have  not  hitherto  noticed,  notwithstanding 
its  great  use  in  pointing  out  the  frequented  routes.  It  is  a  pine- 
tree  divested  of  its  lower  branches,  and  having  only  a  small  tuft 
at  the  top  remaining.  This  operation  is  usually  performed  at  the 
instance  of  some  individual  emulous  of  fame.  He  treats  his  com- 
panions with  rum,  and  they  in  return,  strip  the  ree  of  its  branches, 
and  ever  after  designate  it  by  his  name. 

In  the  afternoon,  whilst  on  n.y  way  to  superintend  the  opera- 
tions of  the  men,  a  stratum  of  loose  moss  gave  way  under  my  feet, 
and  I  had  the  misfortune  to  slip  from  the  summit  of  a  rock  into 
the  river,  betwixt  two  of  the  falls.  My  attempts  to  regain  the 
bank  were,  ior  a  time,  ineffectual,  owing  to  the  rocks  within  my 
reach  having  been  worn  smooth  by  the  action  of  the  water,  hut. 


^ 


ill 


iS6 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


i; 

it       j. 

!•■ 

after  I  had  been  carried  a  considerable  distance  down  the  stream, 
1  caught  hold  of  a  willow,  by  which  I  held  until  two  gentlemen  ol 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  came  in  a  boat  to  my  assistance. 
The  only  bad  consequence  of  this  accident  was  an  injury  sustained 
by  a  very  valuable  chronometer,  (No.  1733,)  belonging  to  Daniel 
Moore,  Esq.  of  Lincoln's  Inn.  One  of  the  gentlemen,  to  whom 
I  delivered  it  immediately  on  landing,  in  his  agitation  let  it  fall, 
whereby  the  minute-hand  was  broken,  but  the  works  were  not  in 
the  smallest  degree  injured,  and  the  loss  of  the  hand  was  after- 
wards supplied. 

During  the  night  the  frost  was  severe,  and  at  sunrise,  on  the 
3d,  the  thermometer  stood  at  23°.  After  leaving  our  encampment 
at  the  White  Fall,  we  passed  through  severa'  small  lakes  connect- 
ed with  each  other  by  narrow,  deep,  grassy  "'eams,  and  at  noon 
arrived  at  the  Painted  Stone.  Numbers  of  musk-rats  frequent 
these  streams,  and  we  observed,  in  the  course  of  the  morning, 
many  of  their  mud-houses  rising  in  a  conical  form  to  the  height 
of  two  or  three  feet  above  the  grass  of  the  smamps  in  which  they 
are  built. 

The  Painted  Stone  is  a  low  rock,  ten  or  twelve  yards  across., 
remarkable  for  the  marshy  streams  which  arise  on  each  side  of  it, 
taking  different  courses.  On  the  one  side,  the  water-course  which 
we  had  navigated  from  York  Factory  commences.  This  spot  may 
therefore  be  considered  as  one  of  the  smaller  sources  of  Hayes' 
River.  On  the  other  side  of  the  stone  the  FIchemamis  arises,  and 
taking  a  vvestei^ly  direction  falls  into  Nelsor.  River.  It  is  said  that 
there  was  formerly  a  stone  placed  near  the  centre  of  this  portage 
on  which  figures  were  annually  traced,  and  offerings  deposited,  by 
the  Indians ;  but  the  stone  has  been  removed  many  years,  and 
the  spot  has  ceased  to  be  held  in  veneration.  Here  we  were 
overtaken  by  Governor  Williams,  who  left  York  Factory  on  the 
20th  of  last  month  in  an  Indian  canoe.  He  expressed  much  re- 
gret at  our  having  been  obliged  to  leave  part  of  our  stores  at  the 
Rock  depot,  and  would  have  brought  them  up  with  him  had  he 
heen  able  to  procure  and  man  a  boat,  or  a  canoe  of  sufficient 
size.   . 

Having  launched  the  boats  over  in?  cock,  we  commenced  the 


stream, 
cmen  ol 
distance, 
ustaincd 
o  Daniel 
o  whom 
t  it  fall, 
^e  not  iu 
as  after- 

3,  on  the 
impment 
connect- 
[  at  noon 
frequent 
morning, 
he  height 
[lich  they 

s  across,, 
ide  of  it, 
se  which 
spot  may 
Hayes' 
ises,  and 
said  that 
portage 
ited,  by 
lars,  and 
ive  were 
on  the 
uch  re- 
les  at  the 
had  he 
mfficient 

iced  the 


4 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


a? 


I 

1 

I 


4 


descent  of  the  Echemamis.  This  small  stream  has  its  course 
through  a  morass,  and  in  dry  seasons  its  channel  contains,  instead 
of  water,  merely  a  foot  or  two  of  thin  mud.  On  these  occasions 
it  is  customary  to  build  dams,  that  it  may  be  rendered  navigable 
by  the  accumulation  of  its  waters.  As  the  beavers  perform  this 
operation  very  effectually,  endeavours  have  been  made  to  encou- 
rage them  to  breed  in  this  place,  but  it  has  not  hitherto  been  pos- 
sible to  restrain  the  Indians  from  killing  that  useful  animal  when- 
ever they  discover  its  retreats.  On  the  present  occasion  there 
was  no  want  of  water,  the  principal  impediment  we  experienced 
being  from  the  narrowness  of  the  channel,  which  permitted  the 
willows  of  each  bank  to  meet  over  our  heads,  and  obstruct  the 
men  at  the  oars.  After  proceeding  down  the  stream  for  some 
time,  we  came  to  a  recently  constructed  beaver-dam  through  which 
an  opening  was  made  sufficient  to  admit  the  boat  to  pass.  Wc 
were  assured  that  the  breach  would  be  closed  by  the  industrious 
creature  in  a  single  night.  We  encamped  about  eight  miles  from 
the  source  of  the  river,  having  come  during  the  day  seventeen 
miles  and  a  half. 

On  the  4th  we  embarked  amidst  a  heavy  rain,  and  pursued  our 
route  down  the  Echemamis.  In  many  parts  the  morass,  by  which 
the  river  is  nourished,  and  through  which  i1  flows,  is  intersected 
by  ridges  of  rock  which  cross  the  channel,  and  require  the  boat  to 
be  lifted  over  them.  In  the  afternoon  we  passed  through  a  shal- 
low piece  of  water  overgi'own  with  bulrushes,  and  hence  named 
Hairy  Lake  ;  and  in  the  evening,  encamped  on  the  banks  of 
Blackwater-Creek,  by  which  this  lake  empties  itself  into  Sea  Ri- 
ver ;  having  come  during  the  day  twenty  miles  and  three  quar- 
ters. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th,  we  entered  Sea  River,  one  of  the 
many  branches  of  Nelson  River.  It  is  about  four  hundred  yards 
wide,  and  its  waters  are  of  a  muddy  white  colour.  After  ascend- 
ing the  stream  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  passing  through  Carpen- 
ter's Lake,  which  is  merely  an  expansion  of  the  river  to  about 
a  mile  in  breadth,  we  came  to  the  Sea  River  Portage,  where  the 
boat  was  launched  across  a  smooth  rock,  to  avoid  a  fall  of  four  or 
five  feet.     Re-einbarking  at  the  upper  end  of  the  portnge,  we  ran 


St 


A  lOURNLY  TO  TIIF.  SHORTI 


r  ^sr' 


before  a  fresh  gale  through  the  remainder  of  Sea  Kivor,  the  lower 
part  of  Play  Green  Lake,  and  entering  liittle  Jack  Uiver,  landed 
and  pitched  our  tents.  Here  there  is  a  small  log-hut,  the  resi- 
dence of  a  fisherman,  who  supplies  Norway  House  with  trout 
and  sturgeon.  He  gave  us  a  few  of  these  fish,  which  afforded 
an  acceptable  supper.  The  length  of  our  voyage  this  day  was 
thirty-four  miles. 

October  G. — Little  Jack  River  is  the  name  given  to  a  channel 
that  winds  among  several  large  islands  which  separate  ITpper  and 
Lower  Play  Green  Lakes.  At  the  lower  end  of  this  channel.  Big 
Jack  River,  a  stream  of  considerable  magnitude,  falls  into  the  lake. 
Play  Green  is  a  translation  of  the  appellation  given  to  that  lake  by 
two  bands  of  Indians,  who  met  and  held  a  festival  on  an  island 
situated  near  its  centre.  After  leaving  our  encampment  we  sail- 
ed through  Upper  Play  Green  Lake,  and  arrived  at  Norway  Point 
in  the  forenoon. 

The  waters  of  Lake  Winipeg,  and  of  the  rivers  t1  un  into 
it,  the  Saskatchawan  in  particular,  are  rendered  turbic  .he  sus- 
pension of  a  large  quantity  of  white  clay.  Play  Green  Lake  and 
Nelson  River,  being  the  discharges  of  the  Winipeg,  are  equally 
opaque,  a  circumstance  that  renders  the  sunken  rocks,  so  frequent 
in  these  waters,  very  dangerous  to  boats  in  a  fresh  breeze.  Ow- 
ing to  this,  one  of  the  boats  that  accompanied  us,  sailing  at  the 
rate  of  seven  miles  an  hour,  struck  upon  one  of  these  rocks.  Its 
masts  were  carried  away  by  the  shock,  but  fortunately  no  other 
damage  sustained.  The  Indians  ascribe  the  muddiness  of  these 
lakes  to  an  adventure  of  one  of  their  deities,  a  mischievous  fellow, 
a  sort  of  Robin  Puck,  whom  they  hold  in  very  Utile  esteem. 
This  deity,  who  is  named  Weesakootchaht,  possesses  considerable 
power,  but  makes  a  capricious  use  of  it,  and  delights  in  torment- 
ing the  poor  Indians.  He  is  not,  however,  invincible,  and  was 
foiled  in  one  of  his  attempts  by  the  artifice  of  an  old  woman,  who 
succeeded  in  taking  him  captive.  She  called  in  all  the  women  of 
the  tribe  to  aid  in  his  punishment,  and  he  escaped  from  their  hands 
in  a  condition  so  filthy  that  it  required  all  the  waters  of  the  Great 
Ijake  to  wash  him  clean  ;  and  ever  since  that  period  it  has  been 
entitled  to  the  appellation  of  Winipeg,  or  Muddy  Water. 


OF  THE  I'OLAR  SEA. 


SO 


Norway  Point  forms  the  extremity  of  a  narrow  peninsula  whicli 
separates  Play  Green  and  Wiuipe^  Lakes.  Buildings  vverc  first 
(irected  licre  by  a  parly  of  Norwegians,  who  were  driven  away 
from  the  colony  at  lied  River  by  the  commotions  which  took 
place  some  time  ago.  It  is  now  a  trading  post  belonging  to  tlie 
Hudson's  Bay  Company.  On  landing  at  Norway  Mouse  we  met 
with  Lord  Selkirk's  colonists,  who  had  started  from  York  Fac- 
tory the  day  before  us.  These  poor  people  were  exceedingly 
pleased  at  meeting  with  us  again  in  this  wild  country;  having 
accompanied  them  across  the  Atlantic,  they  viewed  us  in  the  light 
of  old  acquaintances.  This  post  was  under  the  charge  of  Mr. 
.lames  Sutherland,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  replacing  a  minute- 
hand  on  the  chronometer,  which  was  broken  at  the  White  Fall, 
and  I  had  afterwards  the  satisfaction  of  finding  that  it  went  with 
extraordinary  regularity. 

The  morning  of  the  7th  October  was  beautifully  clear,  and  the 
observations  we  obtained  place  Norway  House  in  latitude  5.3°  41' 
38"  N.,  and  longitude  i)S°  1'  24"  W. ;  the  variation  of  the  mag- 
netic  needle  14°  12'  41"  E.,  and  its  dip  63°  40'  10".  The  dip,  it 
will  be  perceived,  has  gradually  increased,  though  our  route  from 
York  Factory  has  rather  inclined  to  the  S.W.  The  difference 
produced  by  reversing  the  face  of  the  instrument  was  7°  39'. 
There  was  too  much  wind  to  admit  of  our  observing,  with  any  de- 
gree of  accuracy,  the  quantity  of  the  magnetic  force. 

We  left  Norway  House  soon  after  noon,  and  the  wind  being 
favourable,  sailed  along  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Winipeg  the 
whole  of  the  ensuing  night;  and  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  land- 
ed on  a  narrow  ridge  of  sand,  which,  running  out  twenty  miles 
to  the  westward,  separates  Limestone  Bay  from  the  body  of  the 
Lake.  When  the  wind  blows  hard  from  the  southward,  it  is  cus- 
tomary to  carry  boats  across  this  isthmus,  and  to  pull  up  under 
its  lee.  From  Norwegian  Point  to  Limestone  Bay  the  shore  con- 
sists of  high  clay  cliffs,  against  which  the  waves  beat  with  much 
violence  during  strong  southerly  winds.  When  the  wind  blows 
from  the  land,  and  the  waters  of  the  lake  are  low,  a  narrow  san- 
dy beach  is  uncovered,  and  affords  a  landing-place  for  boats.  The 
shores  of  Limestone  Bay  are  covered  with  small  fragments  of 


t  ■ 


'  fWl 


40 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


It'l'l!-     .1,1 
'M  !     ,1'     ■( 


f  ■  -i' 


m 


calcareous  stones.  During  the  night  the  Aurora  Borealis  was 
quick  in  its  motions,  and  various  and  vivid  in  its  colours.  After 
breakfasting  we  re-embarked,  and  continued  our  voyage  until 
three  P.M.,  when  a  strong  westerly  wind  arising,  we  were  oblig- 
ed to  shelter  ourselves  on  a  small  island,  which  lies  near  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  above-mentioned  peninsula.  This  island  is  formed 
of  a  collection  of  small  rolled  pieces  of  limestone,  and  was  remem- 
bered by  some  of  our  boatmen  to  have  been  formerly  covered 
with  water.  For  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years  the  waters  of  the 
lake  have  been  low,  hut  our  information  did  not  enable  us  to 
judge  whether  the  decrease  was  merely  casual,  or  going  on  conti- 
nually, or  periodical.  The  distance  of  this  island  from  Norway 
House  is  thirty-eiglit  miles  and  a  half. 

The  westerly  winds  detained  us  all  the  morning  of  the  9th,  but, 
at  two  P.M.,  the  vind  chopped  round  to  the  eastward  ;  we  im- 
mediately embai  ced,  and  the  breeze  afterwards  fresheuing,  we 
reached  the  moutn  of  the  Saskatchawan  at  midnight,  having  run 
thirty-two  miles. 

Sunday,   October  10. — Tlie  whole  of  this  day  was  occupied 
in  getting  the  boats  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  the  foot  of 
the  grand  rapid,  a  distance  of   two  miles.     Ther&  are  several 
rapids  in  this  short  distance,  during  which  the  river  varies  its 
breadth  from  five  hundred  yards  to  half  a  mile.     Its  channel  is 
stony.     At  the  grand   rapid,  the  Saskatchawan  forms  a  sudden 
bend,  from  south  to  east,  and  works  its  way  through  a  narrow, 
channel,  deeply  worn  into  the    lim^tone  strata.     The  stream, 
rushing  with  impetuous  force  over  a  rocky  and  uneven  bottom, 
presents  a  sheet  of  foam,  and  seems  to  bear  with  impatience  the 
straitened  confiiemtnt  of  its  lofty  banks.     A  flock  of  pelicans, 
and  two  or  three  brown  fishing  eagles,  were  fishing  in  its  agita- 
ted waters,  seemingly  v;nth  great  success.     There  is  a  good  stui- 
geon  fishery  at  the  foot  of  the  rapid.     Several  goit  ^n  plovers, 
Canadian   gros-beaks,   cross-bills,    wood  peckers,  and    pin-tailed 
grouse,  were  shot  to-day ;  and  Mr.  Back  killed  a  small  sti'iped 
marmot.     This  b-autiful  little  animal  was  busily  employed  in 
carrying  in  its  distended  pouches  the  seeds  of  tlie  American  vetch 
to  its  vvinlei  hoard^s.  -  i.  -      ^- 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


41 


The  portage  is  eighteen  hundred  yards  long,  and  its  western 
extremity  was  found  to  be  in  53°  08'  25"  North  latitude,  and  99° 
28'  02"  West  longitude.  The  route  from  Canada  to  the  Atha- 
basca joins  that  from  York  Factory  at  the  mouth  of  the  Saskat- 
chawan,  and  we  saw  traces  of  a  recent  encampment  of  the  Cana- 
dian voyagers.  Our  companions  in  *he  Hudson's  Bay  boats, 
dreading  an  attack  from  their  rivals  in  trade,  were  on  the  alert  at 
this  place.  They  examined  minutely  the  spot  of  encampment, 
to  form  a  judgment  of  the  number  of  canoes  that  had  preceded 
them  ;  and  they  advanced,  armed,  and  with  great  caution,  through 
the  woods.  Their  fears,  however,  were  fortunatel)',  on  this  oc- 
casion, groundless. 

By  noon,  on  the  12th,  the  boats  and  their  cargoes  having  been 
conveyed  across  the  portage,  we  embarked,  and  pursued  our 
course.  The  Saskatchawan  becomes  wider  above  the  Grand  Ra- 
pid, and  the  scenery  improves.  The  banks  are  high,  composed 
of  white  clay  and  limestone,  and  their  summits  are  richly  cloth- 
ed with  a  variety  of  firs,  poplars,  birches,  and  willows.  The 
current  runs  with  great  rapidity  and  the  channel  is,  in  many 
places,  intricate  and  dangerous,  from  broken  ridges  of  rock  jut- 
ting into  the  stream.  We  pitched  our  tents  at  the  entrance  of 
Cross  Lake,  having  advanced  only  five  miles  and  a  half. 

Cross  Lake  is  extensive,  running  towards  the  N.E.,  it  is  said, 
for  forty  miles.  We  crossed  it  at  the  narrow  part,  and  pulling 
through  several  winding  channels,  formed  by  a  group  of  islands, 
entered  Cedar  Lake,  which,  iiext  to  Lake  Winipeg,  is  the  largest 
sheet  of  fresh  water  we  had  hitherto  seen.  Ducks  and  geese  re- 
sort hither  in  immense  flocks  in  the  spring  and  autumn.  Thej,*^ 
birds  are  now  beginning  to  go  off,  owing  to  its  muddy  shores 
having  become  quite  hard  through  the  nightly  frosts.  At  this 
place  the  Aurora  Borealis  was  extremely  brilliant  in  the  night,  its 
coruscations  darting,  at  times,  over  the  whole  sky,  and  assuming 
various  prismatic  tints,  of  which  the  violet  and  yellow  were  pre- 
dominant. 

After  pulling,  on  the  14th,  seven  miles  and  a  quarter  on  the 
lake,  a  violent  wind  drove  us  for  shelter  to  a  small  island,  or 
rather  a  ridge  of  rolled  stones,  thrown  up  by  the  frequent  storm* 


n 


m 


}m 


'.",$•<: 


m 


A    JOUKNKV    TO    THK    SllOUrs 


H. 


W4- 


Hhr 


whicli  ap;itate  this  lake.  The  weather  did  not  rnodeiale  the  whole 
day,  and  we  were  obliged  f(j  j,ass  the  niajht  oti  this  exposed  spot- 
TJic  delay,  however,  eiiabled  vis  to  obtain  some  lunar  observa- 
tions. The  wind  having  subsided,  we  left  our  resting-place  the 
following  morning,  crossed  the  remainder  of  the  lake ;  and,  in 
the  afternoon,  arrived  at  Muddy  Lak(?,  which  is  very  appropri- 
ately named,  as  it  consists  merely  of  a  few  cliannels,  winding 
amongst  extensive  mud  b.ndcs,  which  are  overflowed  during  the 
spring  floods.  We  landed  at  an  Indian  tent,  which  contained 
two  numerous  families,  amounting  to  thirty  souls.  'J'hese  poor 
creatures  were  badly  clothed,  and  reduced  to  a  miserable  condition 
by  the  ravages  of  the  hooping-cough  and  measles.  At  the  time 
of  our  arrival  they  were  busy  in  preparing  a  sweating-house  for 
the  sick.  This  is  a  remedy,  which  they  consider,  with  the  addi- 
tion of  singing  and  drumming,  to  be  the  grand  specific  for  all 
diseases.  Our  companions  having  obtained  some  geese,  in  ex- 
change for  rum  and  tobacco,  we  proceeded  a  few  more  miles,  and 
encamped  on  Devil's  Drum  Island,  having  come,  during  the  day. 
twenty  miles  and  a  half.  A  second  party  of  Indians  were  en- 
camped on  an  adjoining  island,  a  situation  chosen  for  the  purpose 
of  killing  geese  and  ducks. 

On  the  16th  we  proceeded  eighteen  miles  up  the  Saskatcha- 
wan.  Its  banks  are  low,  covered  with  willows,  and  lined  witL 
drift  timber.  The  surrounding  country  is  swampy,  and  inter- 
sected by  the  numerous  arms  of  the  river.  After  passing  for 
twenty  or  thirty  yards  through  the  willow  thicket  on  the  banks 
of  the  stream,  we  entered  upon  an  extensive  marsh,  varied  only 
by  a  distant  line  of  willows,  which  marks  the  course  of  a  creek 
or  branch  of  the  river.  Tiie  branch  we  navigated  to-day  is  almost 
five  hundred  yards  wide.  The  exhalations  from  the  marshy  soil 
produced  a  low  fog,  although  the  sky  above  was  perfectly  clear. 
In  the  course  of  the  day  we  passetl  an  Indian  encampment  of 
three  tents,  whose  inmates  appeared  to  be  in  a  still  more  miser- 
able condition  than  those  we  saw  yesterday.  They  had  just 
finished  the  celemony  of  conjuration  over  some  of  their  sick  com- 
panions ;  and  a  dog,  which  was  recently  killed  as  a  sacrifice  to 
some  diety,  was  hanging  to  a  tree,  where  it  would  be  left  (I  was 
^o\{.\)  when  they  moved  llieir  enoampmcnt. 


Ol'    TUF.    I'OI.AU    SI.  A. 


4;l 


"^  We  continued  our  voyafrc  up  the  river  to  the  -iOih  with  httic 
Vfiriation  of  scenery  or  incident,  travelling  in  that  time  about 
thirty  miles.  The  near  approach  of  winter  was  marked  hj'  se- 
vere frosts,  whicli  continued  all  day  unless  when  the  sun  chanced 
to  be  unusually  bright,  and  the  geese  and  ducks  were  observed  to 
take  a  southerly  course  in  large  flocks.  On  the  morning  of  the  20th 
we  came  to  a  party  of  Indians,  encamped  behind  the  bank  of  the 
river  on  the  borders  of  u  small  marshy  lake,  for  the  purpose  of  killing 
water-fowl.  Here  we  were  gratified  with  the  view  of  a  very  large, 
tent.  Its  length  was  about  forty  feet,  its  breadth  eighteen,  and 
its  covering  was  moose  deer  leather,  wiih  apertures  for  the  escape 
of  the  smoke  from  the  fires  which  were  placed  at  each  end ;  a 
ledge  of  wood  was  placed  on  the  ground  on  both  sides  the  whole 
length  of  the  tent,  within  which  were  the  sleeping  places,  arrang- 
ed probably  according  to  families ;  and  the  drums  and  other  instru- 
ments of  enchantment  were  piled  up  in  the  centre.  Amongst 
the  Indians  there  were  a  great  many  half-breeds,  who  lead  an  In- 
dian life.  Governor  Williams  gave  a  dram  and  a  piece  of  tobacco 
to  each  of  the  males  of  the  party. 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  took  place, 
which  lasted  until  two  in  the  afternoon.  In  the  evening  we  left 
the  Saskatchawan,  and  entered  the  Little  River,  one  of  the  two 
streams  by  which  Pine  Island  Ln'  ilischarges  its  waters.  We 
advanced  to-day  fourteen  miles  and  a  quarter.  On  the  2::^d  the 
weather  was  extremely  cold  and  stormy,  and  we  had  to  contend 
against  a  strong  head  wind*  The  spray  fro/c  a  it  fell,  aii  1  the 
oars  were  so  loaded  with  ice  as  to  be  almost  unmanageable.  Th«- 
length  of  our  voyage  this  day  vval  eleven  miles. 

The  following  morning  was  very  cold;  we  embark  i  at  day- 
light, and  pulled  across  a  part  of  Pine  Island  Lake,  about  three 
miles  and  a  half  to  Cumberland  House.  The  margin  of  the 
lake  was  so  encrusted  with  ice,  that  wc  had  to  break  tlv  gh  a 
considerable  space  of  it  to  approach  the  landing  place.  When 
we  considered  that  this  was  the  effect  of  onl)'  a  few  days'  frost 
at  the  commencement  of  winter,  we  were  convinced  of  the  im- 
practicability of  advancing  further  by  water  this  season,  and 
therefore  resolved  on  accepting  Governor  Williams's  kind  in  vita- 


f! 


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A     lOUUNKY     r6    TllK    SlIKUr.S 


■#,:■! 


wk 


1.  ^ 


fi' 


in 


tion  to  reiiiain  witli  liim  at  tliis  post.  We  immeilialely  vit*ilc(1 
Mr.  ('Dnnolly,  tlio  resident  partner  of  the  Nortli-Wc8t  Company. 
;nul  presented  to  him  Mr.  M'Gillivray's  circular  letter.  He  as- 
sureil  us  that  he  should  be  most  desirous  to  forward  our  progress 
by  every  means  in  his  power,  and  we  subsecpiently  had  ample 
proof's  of  his  sincerity  and  kindness.  Tlic  in  expected  addition 
of  our  party  to  the  winter  resitlents  at  this  post,  rendered  an  in- 
crease of  apartments  n(!cessary  ;  and  our  men  were  immediately 
appointed  to  complete  and  arrange  an  unfinished  building  as 
speedily  as  possible. 

Norcrnho'  8. — Some  mild  weather  succeeded  to  the  severe 
frosts  we  had  at  our  arrival  ;  and  the  lake  had  not  been  entirely 
frozen  before  the  Gth  ;  but  this  morning  tlie  ice  was  sufliciently 
firm  to  admit  of  sledges  crossing  it.  The  dogs  were  harnessed  at 
a  very  early  hour,  and  the  winter  operations  commenced  by  send- 
ing for  a  supply  offish  from  Swampy  Kiver,  where  men  had  been 
stationed  to  collect  it,  Just  before  the  frost  set  in.  IJotlrhien  ajid 
dogs  appean  il  to  enjoj^  the  change  ;  they  started  in  full  glee,  and 
drove  ra])i(lly  along.  An  Indian,  who  had  come  to  the  house  on 
the  preceding  evening,  to  request  some  provision  for  his  family, 
Avliom  he  represented  to  be  in  a  state  of  starvation,  accompanied 
them.  His  party  had  been  suflTering  greatly  under  the  epidemic 
diseases  of  the  hooping-cough  and  measles;  and  the  hunters  were 
still  in  too  debilitated  a  state  to  go  out  and  provide  them  with  meat. 
A  supply  was  given  to  liim,  and  the  men  were  directed  to  bring 
his  father,  an  olil  and  faithful  hunter,  Jo  the  bouse,  thai  he  might 
have  the  comforts  of  nourishment  and  warmth,  lie  was  brought 
accordingly,  but  tluise  attention!  were  unavailing,  as  he  died  a  ie.w 
days  afterwards.  Two  d;<ys  before  his  death  I  was  surprised  to 
observe  him  sitting  lor  neai-  ihree  hours,  in  a  piercingly  sharp  day. 
in  the  saw-pit.  •  inployed  in  gathering  tlie  dust,  and  throwing  it 
by  hanilt'uls  over  his  body,  which  was  naked  to  the  waist.  As 
the  man  was  in  j)ossession  of  his  menial  tacullies,  I  conceived  he 
was  performing  some  devotional  act  pjeparatory  to  his  departure, 
which  he  felt  approaching;  and,  induced  by  the  novelty  of  the 
incident,  I  went  twice  to  observe  him  -lore  closely  ;  but  when  he 
perceived  that  he  was  noticed,  he  immediately  ceased  his  opera- 


I 


OF    Till".    POLAR    SEA. 


45 


as 


tion,  liiin^  tlovvnhis  head,  and  by  his  dtimdancmr,  intimated  thaf. 
he  considered  my  appearance  an  intrusion.  The  residents  at  the 
fort  could  s^ive  me  no  information  on  the  suhject,  and  1  couhl  not 
learn  that  the  Indians  in  general  observe  any  pa  licular  ceremony 
on  the  approach  of  death. 

November  I  'J. — The  sky  had  been  overcast  durina;  the  last  week ; 
the  sun  shone  forth  once  only,  and  then  not  su/ficiently  ft)r  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  observations.  Faint  coruscations  of  the 
Aurora  Borealis  appeared  one  evening,  but  their  presence  did  not 
in  the  least  alfect  the  electrometer  nor  the  compass.  The  ice  daily 
became  thicker  in  the  lake,  and  the  frost  had  now  nearly  over 
powered  the  rapid  current  of  the  Saskatchawan  lliver ;  inde<Ml, 
parties  of  men  who  were  sent  from  both  the  forts  to  search  for 
the  Indians,  and  procure  whatever  skins  and  provisions  they  might 
have  collected,  crossed  that  stream  this  day  on  the  ice;  the  white 
partridges  made  their  first  appearance  near  to  the  house.  These 
birds  are  considered  as  the  infallible  harbingers  of  severe  weather. 

Monday i  November  22. — The  Saskatchawan,  and  every  other 
river,  were  now  completely  covered  with  ice,  except  a  small  stream 
near  to  the  fort  through  which  the  current  ran  very  powerfully. 
In  the  course  of  the  week  we  removed  into  the  house  our  men 
had  been  preparing  for  us  since  our  arrival.  We  found  it  at  first 
extremely  cold  notwithstanding  a  good  fire  was  kept  in  each  apart- 
ment, and  we  frequently  experienced  the  extremes  of  heat  and 
rold  on  opposite  sides  of  the  body. 

November  24. — We  this  day  obtained  observations  for  the  dip 
of  the  needle  and  intensit)j,of  the  magnetic  force  in  a  spare  room. 
The  dip  was  83°  9'  43",  and  thetlitfercnce  produced  by  reversing 
the  face  of  the  instrument  13°  3'  6".  When  the  needle  was  faced 
to  the  west  it  hung  nearly  perpendicular.  The  Aurora  Borealis 
was  faintly  visible  for  a  short  time  last  evening.  Some  Indians 
arrived  in  search  of  provision,  ha\itig  been  totally  incapacitated 
from  hunting  by  sickness;  the  poor  creatures  looked  miserably  ill, 
and  they  represented  their  distress  to  have  been  extreme.  Few 
recitals  are  more  affecting  than  those  of  their  sufi'erings  during  un- 
favourable seasons,  and  in  bad  situations  for  hunting  and  fishing. 
Many  assurances  have  been  given  me  that  men  and  women  are 


t 


m 


i 


A    JOIJRNKY    TO    THK    SHORES 


S    ; 


«:  ::! '   ;  V'i' 


1^    '   • 


i^  111' 


■'   }■■■. 


yet  living  who  have  been  reduced  to  feed  upon  the  bodies  of  tlicir 
own  family,  to  prevent  actual  starvation  ;  and  a  shocking  case  was 
cited  to  us  of  a  woman  who  had  been  principal  agent  in  the  de- 
struction of  several  ptersons,  and  amongst  the  number  her  husband 
and  nearest  relatives,  in  order  to  support  life. 

November  28. — The  atmosphere  had  been  clear  every  day  during 
the  last  week,  about  the  end  of  which  snow  fell,  when  the  ther- 
mometer rose  from  20°  below  to  16°  above  zero.  The  Aurora 
"Borealis  was  twice  visible,  but  faint  on  both  occasions.  Its  ap- 
pearance did  not  aft'ect  the  electrometer,  nor  could  we  perceive 
the  compass  to  be  disturbed. 

The  men  brought  supplies  of  moose  meat  from  the  hunter's  tent, 
which  is  pitched  near  the  Basquiau  Hill,  at  the  .'.'stance  of  forty 
or  fifty  miles  'rom  the  house,  and  from  whence  he  greatest  part 
of  the  meat  is  procured.  The  residents  have  to  send  nearly  the 
same  distance  for  their  fisli,  and  on  this  service  horse-sledges  arc 
used.  Nets  are  daily  set  in  Pine  Island  Lake,  which  occasionally 
procure  some  fine  sturgeon,  tittameg  and  trout,  but  not  more  than 
sufficient  to  supply  the  officers'  table. 

December  1. — This  day  was  so  remarkably  fine,  that  we  pro- 
cured another  set  of  observations  for  the  dip  of  the  needle  in  the 
open  air;  the  instrument  being  placed  firmly  on  a  rock,  the  re- 
sults gave  83°  14'  22".  The  change  produced  by  reversing  the 
face  of  the  instrument  was  12°  50'  55". 

There  was  a  determined  thaw  during  the  last  three  days,  which 
caused  the  Saskatchawan  River,  and  some  parts  of  the  lake,  to 
break  up,  and  rendered  the  travelling#cross  either  of  them  dan- 
gerous. On  this  account  the  afi^ence  of  Wilkes,  one  of  our  men, 
caused  no  small  anxiety.  He  had  incautiously  undertaken  the 
charge  of  conducting  a  sledge  and  dogs,  in  company  with  a  person, 
going  to  Swampy  River  for  fish.  On  their  return,  being  unac- 
customed to  driving,  he  became  fatigued,  and  seated  himself  on 
his  sledge,  in  which  situation  his  companion  left  him,  presuming 
that  he  would  soon  rise  and  hasten  to  follow  his  track.  He  how- 
ever returned  safe  in  the  morning,  and  reported  that,  foreseeing 
night  would  set  in  before  he  could  get  across  the  lake,  he  pru- 
dently retired  into  the  woods  before  dark,  where  he  remained 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


47 


ng 


3d 


until  tlayllfi;ht ;  when  the  men,  who  had  been  despatched  to  look 
for  him,  met  him  returnina;  to  the  house,  shivering  with  cold,  he 
having  been  unprovided  with  the  materials  for  lighting  a  fire; 
which  an  experienced  voyager  never  neglects  to  carry. 

We  had  mild  weather  until  the  20th  of  December.  On  the  13th 
there  had  been  a  decided  thaw,  which  caused  the  Saskatchawan, 
which  had  again  frozen,  to  re-opcn,  and  the  passage  across  it  was 
interrupted  for  two  days.  We  now  received  more  agreeable  ac- 
counts from  the  Indians,  who  are  recovering  strength,  and  begin- 
ning to  hunt  a  little  ;  but  it  is  generally  feared  that  their  spirits 
have  been  so  much  depressed  by  the  loss  of  their  children  and 
relatives,  that  the  season  will  be  far  advanced  before  they  can  be 
roused  to  any  exertion  in  searching  for  animals  beyond  what  may 
be  necessary  for  their  own  support.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted 
that  these  poor  men,  during  their  long  intercourse  with  Europeans, 
have  not  been  taught  how  pernicious  is  the  grief  which  produces 
total  inactivity,  and  that  they  have  not  been  furnished  with  any  of 
the  consolations  which  the  Christian  religion  never  fails  to  afford. 
This,  however,  could  hardly  have  been  expected  from  persons  who 
have  permitted  their  own  offspring,  the  half-casts,  to  remain  in 
lamentable  ignorance  on  a  subject  of  such  vital  importance.  It 
is  probable,  however,  that  an  improvement  will  soon  take  place 
among  the  latter  class,  as  Governor  Williams  proposes  to  make 
the  children  attend  a  Sunday  school,  and  has  already  begun  to 
have  divine  service  performed  at  his  post. 

The  conversations  which  I  have  had  with  the  gentlemen  in 
tthaige  of  these  posts,  convinced  me  of  the  necessity  of  proceed- 
ing during  the  winter  int(f  the  Athabasca  department,  the  resi- 
dents of  which  are  best  acquainted  with  the  nature  and  resources 
of  the  country  lying  to  the  north  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake ;  and 
from  whence  only  guides,  hunters,  and  interpreters  can  be  pro- 
cured. I  had  previously  written  to  the  partners  of  the  North 
West  Company  in  that  quarter,  requesting  their  assistance  in  for- 
warding the  Expedition,  and  stating  what  we  shouM  require  of 
them  ;  but,  on  reviewing  the  matter,  and  reflecting  ripon  tlie  acci 
dents  that  might  delay  these  letters  on  the  road,  I  determined  on 
proceeding  to  the  Athabasca  as  soon  as  I  possibly  could,  and  com 


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municatctl  my  intention  to  Governor  Williams  anil  Mr.  Connolly, 
with  a  request  that  I  might  be  furnished,  by  the  middle  of  Janu- 
ary, with  the  means  of  conveyance  for  three  persons,  intending 
that  Mr.  Back  and  Hepburn  should  accompany  me,  whilst  Dr. 
Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood  remained  till  the  spring  at  Cumberland 
House. 

After  the  20th  December  the  weather  became  cold,  the  tlur- 
momcler  constantly  below  zero.  Christmas-<lay  was  particularly 
stormy  ;  but  the  gale  did  not  prevent  the  full  enjoyment  of  the 
festivities  which  are  annually  given  at  Cumberland  House  on  this 
day.  All  the  men  who  had  been  despatched  to  difl'eront  parts  in 
search  of  provision  or  lurs  returned  to  the  fort  on  the  occasion, 
and  were  regaled  with  a  substantial  dinner  and  a  dance  in  the 
evening. 

18t2().  I'he  new  year  was  ushered  in  by  repeated  discharges 

.lanuiiry  1.  of  luuskutr}' ;  a  ceremony  which  has  been  observed  by 
the  wen  of  both  the  trading  Companies  for  many  years.  Our 
party  dined  with  Mr.  Connolly,  and  were  regaletl  with  a  beaver, 
which  we  found  extremely  delicate.  In  the  evening  his  men  were 
entertained  with  a  dance,  in  which  the  Canadians  exhibited  some 
grace  and  much  agility;  and  they  contrived  to  infuse  some  por- 
tion of  their  activity  and  spirits  into  the  steps  of  their  female  com- 
piuiions.  The  half-breed  women  are  passionately  fond  of  this 
amusement,  but  a  stranger  would  imagine  the  contrary  on  wit- 
nessing their  apparent- want  of  animation.  On  such  occasions  they 
afl'ect  a  sobriety  of  demeanour  wiiich  I  understand  to  be  the  very 
opposite  to  their  general  character. 

January  10. — This  day  I  wrote  to  Grovernor  Williams  and  Mr. 
(/pnnoUy,  requesting  them  to  prepare  two  canoes,  with  crews  and 
appointments,  for  the  conveyance  of  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr. 
Hood  with  the  stores  to  Chipewyan  as  soon  as  the  navigation 
should  open,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  receiving  from  both  these 
gentlemen  renewed  assurances  of  their  desire  to  promote  the  ob- 
jects of  the  Expedition.  I  conceived  it  to  be  necessary,  previous 
to  my  departure,  to  make  some  arrangement  respecting  the  men 
who  were  engaged  at  Stromness.  Only  one  of  them  was  disposed 
to  extend  his  engagement,  and   proceed   beyond  the  Athabasca 


'•t 


OF    THE    POLAR    St  A. 


4i* 


Lake ;  and,  as  I  found  tliero  was  mucli  uncertainty  whether  the 
remainine;  three  could  ^et  from  llic  Athabasca  to  York  Factory 
sufficiently  early  to  secure  them  a  pass'.\!»;e  in  the  next  Hudson's 
Bay  ship,  I  resolved  not  to  take  them  forward,  unless  Dr.  Rich- 
ardson and  Mr.  Hood  should  fail  in  procurina;  other  men  from 
these  establishments  next  sprina;,  but  to  despatch  them  down  to 
York  to  brinja;  up  our  stores  to  this  place  :  after  which  they  might 
return  to  the  coast  in  time  to  secure  their  passag;e  in  the  first 

ship. 

I  delivered  to  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood  a  memorandum, 
containing;  the  arrangements  which  had  been  made  with  the  two 
Companies,  respcctina;  their  hcuvj:  forwarded  in  the  spring,  and 
some  other  points  of  instruction  for  their  guidance  in  my  ab- 
sence; together  with  directions  to  forward  the  map  of  our  route, 
which  had  been  finished,  since  our  arrival,  by  Mr.  Hood,  the 
drawings  and  the  collections  of  natural  history,  by  the  first  oppor- 
ttmity  to  York  Factory,  for  conveyance  to  England  ' 

The  houses  of  the  two  Companies,  at  this  post,  are  j>  lated  close 
to  each  other,  at  the  upper  extremity  of  a  narrow  island,  which 
separates  Pine  Island  Lake  from  the  Saskatchawan  River,  and  are 
about  two  miles  and  three  quarters  distant  from  the  latter,  in  a 
northern  direction.  They  are  log-houses,  built  without  much 
attention  to  comfort,  surrounded  by  lofty  stockades,  and  flanked 
with  wooden  bastions.  The  difficulty  of  conveying  glass  into  the 
interior  has  precluded  the  use  of  that  material  in  the  construction 
of  the  windows,  and  its  place  is  poorly  supplied  by  parchment, 
impc  made  by  the  native  women  from  the  skin  of  the  rein- 

deer. .Should  this  post,  however,  continue  to' be  the  residence  of 
Governor  Williams,  it  will  be  much  improved  in  a  few  years,  as 
he  is  devoting  his  attention  to  that  point.  The  land  around  Cum- 
berland House  is  low,  but  the  soil,  from  having  a  considerable 
intermixture  of  limestone,  is  good,  and  capable  of  producing 
abundance  of  corn,  and  vegetables  of  every  description.  Many 
kinds  of  pot-herbs  have  already  been  brought  to  some  perfection, 

*  As  Samuel  Wilks,  who  had  accompanied  the  Expedition  from  England, 
"proved  to  be  quite  unequal  to  the  fatigue  of  the  journey,  I  directed  him  to 
be  discharged  in  the  spring,  and  sent  to  England  by  the  next  ship. 

^        G 


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50 


A    TOURNKY    TO    THi;    SHORES 


and  the  potatoes  hid  fair  to  equal  those  of  Ens^land.  The  sponta- 
neous productions  of  nature  would  afford  ample  nourishment  for 
all  the  European  animals.  Horses  feed  extremely  well  even  during 
the  winter,  and  so  would  oxen,  if  provided  with  hay,  which  may 
be  easily  done.*  Piajs  also  improve,  but  require  to  be  kept  warm 
in  the  winter.  Hence  it  appears,  that  the  residents  might,  with 
common  attention,  render  themselves  far  less  dependant  on  the 
Indians  for  support,  and  be  relieved  from  the  great  anxiety  which 
they  too  often  suffer  when  the  hunters  are  unsuccessful.  The 
neighbourhood  of  the  houses  has  been  much  cleared  of  wood,  from 
the  great  demand  for  fuel ;  there  is,  therefore,  little  to  admire  in 
the  surrounding  scenery,  especially  in  its  winter  garb ;  few  ani- 
mated objects  occur  to  enliven  the  scene ;  an  occasional  fox,  mar- 
ten, rabbit,  or  wolf,  and  a  few  birds,  contribute  the  only  variety. 
The  birds  which  remained,  were  ravens,  magpies,  partridges, 
cross-bills,  and  woodpeckers.  In  this  universal  stillness,  the  resi- 
dents at  a  post  feel  little  disposed  to  wander  abroad,  except  when 
called  forth  by  their  occupations ;  and  as  ours  were  of  a  kind  best 
perfornie«l  in  a  warm  room,  we  imperceptibly  acquired  a  seden- 
tary habit.  In  going  out,  however,  we  never  suffered  the  slightest 
inconvenience  from  the  change  of  temperature,  though  the  ther- 
mometer, in  the  open  air,  stood  occasionally  thirty  degrees  below 
zero. 

The  tribe  of  Indians  who  reside  in  the  vicinity,  and  frequent 
these  establishments,  is  that  of  the  Crees,  or  Knisteneaux.  They 
were  formerly  a  powerful  and  numerous  nation,  which  ranged 
over  a  very  extensive  country,  and  were  most  successful  in  their 
predatory  excursions  against  their  neighbours,  particularly  the 
northern  Indians,  and  some  tribes  on  the  Saskatchawan  and  Bea- 
ver Rivers;  but  they  have  long  ceased  to  be  held  in  any  fear,  and 
are  now,  perhaps,  the  most  harmless  and  inoffensive  of  the  whole 


•  "  Tlie  wild  Ijuffulo  scrapes  away  tlie  snow  with  its  feet  to  get  at  the  herh- 
age  beneatii,  and  the  horse,  wliich  was  introduced  by  tlie  Spanish  invaders  of 
Mexico,  and  may  be  said  to  have  become  naturuli/ed,  does  the  same  ;  but  it 
is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  ox,  more  lately  brought  from  Europe,  has  no? 
yet  acquired  an  art  so  necessary  for  procuring  its  food." — (T.xtract  from  Dr 
J{icIi;irdsoii's  Journal.) 


OF  THE  POT,AR  SKA. 


an^ 


Indian  race.  This  change  is  entirely  to  be  altril)iite(l  to  Ihuir  in- 
tercourse with  Europeans;  and  the  vast  reduction  in  Ihcir  num- 
bers occasioned,  I  fear,  in  a  considerable  degree,  by  the  injudi- 
cious introduction  amone;st  them  of  ardent  spirits.  They  are  so 
passionately  fond  of  this  poison,  that  they  will  make  any  sacrifice 
to  obtain  it.  They  are  esteemed  good  hunters,  and  are  generally 
assiduous  in  the  occupation.  Having  laid  the  bow  and  arrow  alto- 
gether aside,  and  the  use  of  snares,  except  for  rabbits  and  par- 
tridges, they  depend  entirely  on  the  Europeans  for  the  means  of 
gaining  their  subsistence,  as  they  require  guns,  and  a  constant 
supply  of  powder  and  shot;  so  that  these  Indians  are  probably 
more  completely  under  the  power  of  the  trader  than  any  of  the 
other  tribes.  As  I  only  saw  a  few  straggling  parties  of  them 
during  short  intervals,  and  under  unfavourable  circumstances  of 
sickness  and  famine,  I  am  unable  to  give,  from  personal  observa- 
tion, any  account  of  their  manners  and  customs;  I  must  refer  tho 
reader,  therefore,  to  Dr.  Richardson's  account  of  them,  which 
will  be  found  in  the  following  chapter.  That  gentleman,  during 
his  longer  residence  at  the  post,  had  many  opportunities  of  seeing 
the  natives,  and  made  considerable  progress  in  their  language. 

January  17. — This  morning  the  sporting  part  of  our  society 
had  rather  a  novel  diversion :  intelligence  having  been  brought 
that  a  wolf  had  borne  away  a  stael  trap,  in  which  he  had  been 
caught,  a  party  went  in  search  of  the  marauder,  and  took  two 
English  bull-dogs  and  a  terrier,  which  had  been  brought  into  the 
country  this  season.  On  the  first  sight  of  the  animal  the  dogs 
became  alarmed,  and  stood  barking  at  a  distance,  and  probably 
would  not  have  ventured  to  advance,  had  they  not  seen  the  wolf 
fall  by  a  shot  from  one  of  the  gentlemen ;  they  then,  however, 
went  up,  and  behaved  courageously,  and  were  enraged  b}'  the 
bites  they  received.  The  wolf  soon  died  of  its  wounds,  and  the 
body  was  brought  to  the  house,  where  a  drawing  of  it  was  taken 
by  Mr.  Hood,  and  the  skin  preserved  by  Dr.  Richardson,  Its 
general  features  bore  a  strong  resemblance  to  many  of  the  dogs 
about  the  fort,  but  it  was  larger,  and  had  a  more  ferocious  aspect. 
Mr.  Black  and  I  were  too  much  occupied  in  preparing  for  our  de- 
parture on  the  following  day  to  join  this  excursion. 


m 


u\ 


M 


m 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THL  SHOHEb 


The  position  of  Cumberland  House,  by  our  observations,  la, 
latitude  53°  56'  40"  N.,  longitude  102"  16'  41"  W.,  by  the  chro- 
nometers; variation  17°  17'  29"  E.,  dip  of  the  needle,  83°  12'  50". 
The  whole  of  the  travelling  distance  between  York  Factory  and 
Cumberland  House  is  about  six  hundred  and  ninety  miles. 


I      f 


.\      '.v^ 


li'iir 


^J-^u^^. 


OF    THK    POLAR    SEA. 


53 


CHAPTER  lU. 

Dr.  Richardson's  Residence  at  Cumberland  House— His  Account  of  tho 

Crce  Indians, 


January  19.  FrOM  the  departure  of  Messrs.  Franklin  and  Back, 
on  the  I9th  of  January  for  Chepewyan,  until  the  opening  of  the 
navigation  in  the  spring,  the  occurrences  connected  with  the  Ex- 
pedition were  so  much  in  the  ordinary  routine  of  a  winter's  resi- 
dence at  Fort  Cumberland,  that  they  may  be,  perhaps,  appropri- 
ately blended  with  the  following  eenen'  bul  uiief  account  of  that 
district  and  its  inhabitants. 

Cumberland  House  was  originally  built  by  Hearne,  a  year  or 
two  after  his  return  from  the  Coppermine  River,  and  has  ever 
since  been  considered  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  as  a  post  of 
considerable  importance.  Previous  to  that  time,  the  natives  car- 
ried their  furs  down  to  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay,  or  disposed 
of  them  nearer  home  to  the  French  Canadian  traders,  who  visited 
this  part  of  the  cii'ontry  as  early  as  the  year  1697. 

The  Cumberland  House  district,  extending  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  from  east  to  west  along  the  banks  of  the  Saskatch- 
awan,  and  about  as  far  from  north  to  south,  comprehends,  on  a 
rough  calculation,  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  square  miles,  and 
is  frequented  at  present  by  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  Indian 
hunters.  Of  these  a  few  have  several  wives,  but  the  majority  have 
only  one,  and  as  some  are  unmarried,  we  shall  not  err  greatly  in 
considering  the  number  of  married  women  as  only  slightly  ex- 
ceeding that  of  the  hunters.  The  women  marry  very  young,  have 
a  custom  of  suckling  their  children  for  several  years,  and  are  be- 
sides exposed  constantly  to  fatigue  and  often  to  famine ;  hence 
they  are  not  prolific,  bearing  upon  an  average  not  more  than  four 
children,  of  whom  two  may  attain  the  age  of  puberty.     Upon  these 


/i\ 


iFfMi  't^'K. 

»4    :■■ 


l„  *     ■ 


|:^'. 


h  ', 


54 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE   SHORES 


data,  the  amount  of  each  family  may  be  stated  at  five,  and  the 
whole  Indian  population  in  the  district  at  five  hundred. 

This  is  but  a  small  population  for  such  an  extent  of  country,  yet 
their  mode  of  life  occasionally  subjects  them  to  great  privations. 
The  winter  of  our  residence  at  Cumberland  House  proved  ex- 
tremely severe  to  the  Indians.  The  hooping-cough  hiade  its  ap- 
pearnnce  amongst  them  in  the  autumn,  and  was  followed  by  the 
measles,  which,  in  the  course  of  the  winter,  spread  through  the 
tribe.  Many  died,  and  most  of  the  survivors  were  so  enfeebled 
as  to  be  unable  to  pursue  the  necessary  avocations  of  hunting  and 
fishing.  Even  those  who  experienced  only  a  slight  attack,  or  es- 
caped the  sickness  altogetiicr,  dispirited  by  the  scenes  of  misery 
which  environed  them,  were  rendered  incapable  of  affording  relief 
to  their  distressed  relations,  and  spent  their  time  in  conjuring  and 
drumming  to  avert  the  pestilence.  Those  who  were  able  came  to 
the  fort  and  received  relief,  but  many  who  had  retired  with  their 
families  to  distant  corners,  to  pursue  their  winter  hunts,  experi- 
enced all  the  horrors  of  famine.  One  evening,  early  in  the  month 
of  January,  a  poor  Indian  entered  the  North  West  Company's 
House,  carrying  his  only  child  in  his  arms,  and  followed  by  his 
starving  wife.  They  had  been  hunting  apart  from  the  other 
bands,  had  been  unsuccessful,  and  whilst  in  want  were  seized 
with  the  epidemical  disease.  An  Indian  is  accustomed  to  starve, 
and  it  is  not  easy  to  elicit  from  him  an  account  of  his  sufferings. 
This  poor  man's  story  w''.s  ery  brief;  as  soon  as  the  fever  abated, 
he  set  out  with  his  wife  for  Cumberland  House,  having  been  pre- 
viously reduced  to  feed  on  the  bits  of  skin  and  offal,  which  re- 
mained about  their  encampment.  Even  this  miserable  fare  was 
exhausted,  and  they  walked  several  days  without  eating,  yet  ex- 
erting themselves  far  beyond  their  strength  that  they  might  save 
the  life  of  the  infant.  It  died  almost  within  sight  of  the  house. 
Mr.  Connolly,  who  was  then  in  charge  of  the  post,  received  tiieni 
with  the  utmost  humanity,  and  instantly  placed  food  before  them ; 
but  no  language  can  describe  the  manner  in  which  the  miserable 
father  dashed  the  morsel  from  his  lips  and  deplored  the  loss  of  his 
child.  Misery  may  harden  a  dispos"  .ion  naturally  bad,  but  it  never 
fails  to  soften  the  heart  of  a  good  man.  .  ... 


»'h 


JidJtOF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


55 


The  oris^in  of  the  Crees,  to  which  nation  the  Cuniherland 
Ifoiise  Indians  belong,  is,  like  that  of  the  other  Aboria;incs  of 
America,  involved  in  obscnrity.  Perhaps  the  researches,  now 
makiiig  into  the  nature  and  affinities  of  the  languages  spoken  by 
the  different  Indian  tribes,  may  eventually  throw  some  light  on 
the  subject.  Indeed  the  American  philologists  seem  to  have  suc- 
ceeded alreadv  in  classing;  the  known  dialects  into  three  Ian- 
guages  : — 1st.  The  Floridean,  spoken  by  the  Creeks,  Chickesaws, 
Choctaws,  Cherokees,  Pascagoulas,  and  some  other  tribes,  who 
inhabit  the  southern  parts  of  the  United  States.  2d.  The  Iro- 
quois, spoken  by  the  Mengwe,  or  Six  Nations,  the  Wyandots,  the 
Nadovvessies,  and  Asseeneepoytuck.  3d.  The  Lenni-lenape, 
spoken  by  a  great  family  more  widely  spread  than  the  other  two, 
and  from  which,  together  with  a  vast  number  of  other  tribes,  are 
sprung  our  Crees.  jVIr.  Heckcvvelder,  a  Missionary,  who  resided 
long  amongst  these  people,  and  from  whose  paj)er,  (published  in 
the  Transactions  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,)  the  above 
classification  is  taken,  states  that  the  Lcnape  have  a  tradition 
amongst  them  of  their  ancestors  having  come  from  the  west- 
ward, and  taking  possession  of  the  whole  country  from  the  Mis- 
souri to  the  Atlantic,  after  driving  away  or  destroying  the  origi- 
nal inhabitants  of  the  land,  whom  they  termed  AUigewi.  In  this 
migration  and  contest,  which  endured  for  a  series  of  years,  the 
Mengwe,  or  Iroquois,  kept  pace  with  them,  moving  in  a  parallel 
but  more  northerly  line,  and  finally  settling  on  the  banks  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  and  the  great  lakes  from  whence  it  flows.  The 
Lenapei,  beng  more  numerous,  peopled  not  only  the  greater  part 
of  the  country  at  present  occupied  by  the  United  States,  but  also 
sent  detachments  to  the  northward  as  far  as  the  banks  of  the  River 
Mississippi  and  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay.  The  princij)al  of 
their  northern  tribes  are  now  known  under  the  names  of  8:iul- 
teurs  or  Chippeways,  and  Crees  j  the  former  inhabiting  the  coun- 
try betwixt  Lakes  VVinipeg  and  Superior,  the  latter  frequenting 
the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay,  from  Moose  to  ('hurchill,  anil  the 
country  from  tiience  as  far  to  the  westward  as  the  plains  whicli  lie 
betwixt  the  forks  of  the  Saskatchawan. 

These  Crees,  formerlv  known  bv  the  French  Canadian  traders 


r^fi  'm 


I'k 


/'5 
1 


36 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


1^ 


under  the  appellation  of  Knisteneaux,  generally  designate  them 
selves  as  Eithinyoowuc  fmen,)  or,  when  they  wish  to  discrimi 
nate  themselves  from  the  other  Indian  nations,  as  Nathehvvy with 
inyoowuc  f Southern-men. J*  '■< 

The  original  character  of  the  Crees  must  have  been  much  mo- 
dified by  their  long  intercourjse  with  Europeans ;  hence  it  is  to 
be  understood,  that  we  confine  ourselves  in  the  following  sketch 
to  their  present  condition,  and  more  particularly  to  the  Crees  of 
Cumberland  House.  The  moral  character  of  a  hunter  is  acted 
upon  by  the  nature  of  the  land  he  inhabits,  the  abundance  or 
scarcity  of  food,  and  we  may  add,  in  the  present  case,  his  means 
of  access  to  spirituous  liquors.  In  a  country  so  various  in  these  re- 
spects as  that  inhabited  by  the  Crees,  the  causes  alluded  to  must 
operate  strongly  in  producing  a  considerable  diflierence  of  character 
amongst  the  various  hordes.  It  may  be  proper  to  bear  in  mind 
also,  that  we  are  about  to  draw  the  character  of  a  people  whose 
only  rule  of  conduct  is  public  opinion,  and  to  try  them  by  a  mo- 
rality founded  on  divine  revelation;  as  we  are  not  aware  that  it 
is  in  the  power  of  any  one,  who  has  been  educated  in  a  land  to 


<f  ■ ' 


If;   '   >    , 


il 

'  :i 
il 

i 

„   I- 


*  Much  confusion  has  arisen  from  the  great  variety  of  names,  applied  with- 
out discrimination  to  the  various  tribes  of  SauUeurs  and  Crees.  Hcckewelder 
considers  the  Crees  of  Moose  Factory  to  be  a  branch  of  tiiat  tribe  of  Lcnapc, 
which  is  named  Minsi,  or  Wolf  Tribe.  He  has  been  led  to  form  this  opinion. 
from  the  similarity  of  the  name  given  to  tiiese  people  by  Monsieur  Jeremie, 
namely,  Monsonies ;  but  the  truth  is,  that  iheir  real  name  is  Monpsoa-eythin- 
yoowuc,  or  Moose -deer  Indians;  hence  the  name  of  tlu>  factory  and  river  on 
which  it  is  built.  The  name  Knisteneaux,  Kristeiicaux,  or  Killistcncaux,  was 
jincieiitly  applied  to  a  tribe  of  Crees,  now  termed  Maskegons,  who  inhabit  the 
river  Winineg'.  This  small  tribe  still  retains  the  peculiarities  of  customs  and 
dress,  for  which  it  was  remarkable  many  years  ag-o,  as  mentioned  by  Mr.  Henry, 
in  the  interesting  account  of  his  journeys  in  these  countries.  'I  hey  are  said 
to  be  great  rascals.  The  great  body  of  the  Crees  were  at  that  time  named 
Opimmitish  Ininiwuc,  or  Men  of  the  Woods.  It  would,  however,  be  an  end 
less  task  to  attempt  to  determine  the  precise  people  designated  by  the  early 
French  writers.  Every  small  band,  naming  itself  from  its  hunting  grounds, 
was  described  as  a  different  nation.  The  Cliippewajs  who  frequented  the. 
Lake  of  the  Woods  were  named  from  a  particular  act  of  pillage — Piiliers,  or 
Robbers  :  '.nd  the  name  Saulleurs,  ;\pplied  to  a  principal  band  that  frequent- 
ed the  Saalt  St,  Marie,  hasbcen  by  degrees  extended  to  the  whole  tribe  I* 
is  frequently  pronounced  and  written  Vo/oo?. 


I 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


57 


>: 


which  the  blessings  of  the  Gospel  have  extended,  to  use  any  other 
standard. 

Bearing  these  considerations  in  mind  then,  we  may  state  the 
Crees  to  be  a  vain,  fickle,  improvident,  and  indolent  race,  and 
not  very  strict  in  their  adherence  to  truth,  beine;  great  boasters  ; 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  they  strictly  regard  the  riglUs  of  property, 
are  susceptible  of  the  kinder  alfeclions,  capable  of  friendship, 
very  hospitable,  tolerably  kind  to  their  women,  and  withal  inclin- 
ed to  })i:ace. 

Much  of  the  faulty  part  of  tlieir  character,  no  doubt,  originates 
in  their  mode  of  life :  accustomed  as  a  hunter  to  depend  greatly 
on  chance  for  his  subsistence,  the  Cree  takes  little  thought  of  to- 
morrow ;  and  the  most  offensive  part  of  his  behaviour — the  habit 
of  boasting — has  been  probably  assumed  as  a  necessary  part  of  his 
armour,  which  operates  upon  the  fears  of  his  enemies.  They  are 
countenanced,  however,  in  this  tailing  by  the  practice  of  the  an- 
cient Greeks,  and  perhaps  by  that  of  every  other  nation  in  its  ruder 
state.  Every  Cree  fears  the  medical  or  conjuring  powers  of  his 
neighbour;  but  at  the  same  time  exalts  his  own  attainments  to 
the  skies.  *'  I  am  God-like"  is  a  common  expression  amongst 
them,  and  they  prove  their  divinityship  by  eating  live  coals,  and 
by  various  tricks  of  a  similar  nature.  A  medicine  bag  is  an  in- 
dispensable part  of  a  hunter's  equipment.  It  is  generally  fur- 
nished with  a  little  bit  of  indigo,  blue  vitriol,  vermilion,  or  some 
other  showy  article ;  and  is,  when  in  the  hands  of  a  noted  con- 
juror, such  an  object  of  terror  to  the  rest  of  the  tribe,  that  its  pos- 
sessor is  enabled  to  fatten  at  his  ease  upon  the  labours  of  his  de- 
luded countrymen.     ,      .    .  ,.  .  '-  •       -  -- 

A  fellow  of  this  description  came  to  Cumberland  House  in  the 
winter  of  1819.  Notwithstanding  the  then  miserable  state  of  t!ie 
Indians,  the  rapacity  of  this  wretch  had  been  preying  upon  their 
necessities,  and  a  poor  hunter  was  actually  at  the  moment  pining 
away  under  the  influence  of  his  threats.  The  mighty  conjuror, 
innncdiately  on  liis  arrival  at  the  house,  began  to  trumpet  forth 
his  powers,  boasting,  among  other  things,  that  although  his  hands 
and  feet  were  tied  as  securely  as  possible,  yet,  when  placed  in  a 
conjuring-house,  he  would  speedily  disengage  himself  by  the  aid 

H 


!*1 


( 


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A  .fOUllNLY  TO  THE  SHORES 


:t  I 


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4' 


p-  ''•{'     :  'in 


...«■■■ 


r 


[f- ' 


of  two  or  three  familiar  spirits,  who  were  attendant  on  his  call. 
He  was  instantly  taken  at  his  word,  and  that  his  exertions  might 
not  be  without  an  aim,  a  capot  or  great  coat  was  promised  as 
the  reward  of  his  success.  A  conjuring-house  having  been  erect- 
ed in  the  usual  form,  that  is,  by  sticking  four  willows  in  the 
ground  and  tying  their  tops  to  a  hoop  at  the  height  of  six  or 
eight  feet,  he  was  fettered  completely  by  winding  several  fathoms 
of  rope  ronnd  his  body  and  extremities,  and  placed  in  its  narrow 
apartment,  not  exceeding  two  feet  in  diameter.  A  moose  skin 
being  then  thrown  over  the  frame,  secluded  him  from  our  view. 
He  forthwith  began  to  chaunt  a  kind  of  hymn  in  a  very  mono- 
tonous tone.  The  rest  of  the  Indians,  who  seemed  in  some  doubt 
respecting  the  powers  of  a  devil  when  put  in  competition  with 
those  of  a  while  man,  ranged  themselves  around,  and  watched 
the  result  with  anxiety.  Nothing  remarkable  occurred  for  a  long 
time.  The  conjuror  continued  his  song  at  intervals,  and  it  was 
occasionally  taken  up  by  those  without.  In  this  manner  an  hour 
and  a  half  elapsed  ;  but  at  length  our  attention,  which  had  be- 
gun to  flag,  was  roused  by  the  violent  shaking  of  the  conjuring- 
house.  It  was  instantly  whispered  round  the  cu'cle,  that  at  least 
one  devil  had  crept  under  the  moose-skin.  But  it  proved  to  be 
only  the  "  God-like  man"  trembling  with  cold.  He  had  enter- 
ed the  lists,  stript  to  the  skin,  and  the  thermometer  stood  very 
low  that  evening.  His  attempts  were  continued,  however,  with 
considerable  resolution  for  half  an  hour  longer,  when  he  reluctant- 
ly gave  in.  He  had  found  no  difficulty  in  slipping  through  the 
noose  when  it  was  formed  by  his  countiymen  ;  but,  in  the  pre- 
sent instance  the  knot  was  tied  by  Governor  Williams,  who  is  an 
expert  sailor.  After  this  unsuccessful  exhibition  his  credit  sunk 
amazingly,  and  he  took  the  earliest  opportunity  of  sneaking  away 
fi'om  the  fort. 

About  two  years  ago  a  conjuror  paid  more  dearly  for  his  feme 
rity.  In  a  quarrel  with  an  Indian  he  threw  out  some  oljscurc 
threats  of  vengeance,  which  passed  unnoticed  a!:  the  time,  but 
were  afterwards  remembered.  They  met  in  the  spring  at  Carlton 
House,  after  passing  the  winter  in  different  p?rts  of  the  country. 
durinir  which  the  Indian's  child  died.    The  conjuror  had  the  folly 


OF    THE    rOLAR    SEA. 


M 


w  l>oast  that  he  had  caused  its  death,  and  the  cnrap;ed  father  shot 
him  dead  on  the  spot.  It  may  be  remarked,  liowever,  tliat  both 
these  Indians  were  inhabitant.s  of  the  phiins,  and  had  been  taught, 
by  their  intercourse  with  the  turbulent  Stone  Indians,  to  set  bul 
comparatively  little  value  on  the  life  of  a  man. 

It  might  be  thought  that  the  Crces  have  benefited  by  their  long 
intercourse  with  civili/ed  nations.  That  this  is  not  so  inuch  the 
case  as  it  ought  to  be,  is  not  entirely  their  own  fault.  They  are 
capable  of  being,  and  I  believe  willing  to  be,  taught;  but  no 
pains  have  hitherto  been  taken  to  inform  their  minds,  and  their 
white  acfjuaintances  seem  in  general  to  lind  it  easier  to  descend 
to  the  Indian  customs,  and  modes  of  thinking,  particularly  with 
respect  to  women,  than  to  attempt  to  raise  the  Indians  to  theirs. 
Indeed,  such  a  lamentable  want  of  morality  has  been  displayed  by 
the  white  traders  in  their  contests  for  the  interests  of  their  re- 
spectiv^e  companies,  that  it  would  require  a  long  series  of  good 
conduct  to  efface  from  the  minds  of  the  native  population  the 
ideas  they  have  formed  of  the  white  character.  Notwithstanding 
tiie  frequent  violations  of  the  rights  of  property  they  have  wit- 
nessed, and  but  too  often  experienced,  in  their  own  persons,  these 
savages,  as  they  are  termed,  remain  strictly  honest.  During  theii 
visits  to  a  post,  they  are  suffered  to  enter  every  apartment  in  the 
house,  without  the  least  restraint,  and  although  articles  of  value  to 
them  are  scattered  about,  nothing  is  evt:  missed.  They  even 
scrupulously  avoid  moving  any  thing  from  its  place,  although 
they  are  often  prompted  by  curiosity  to  examine  it.  In  some 
cases,  indeed,  they  carry  this  principle  to  a  degree  of  self-denial 
which  would  hardly  be  expected.  It  often  happens  that  meat, 
which  has  been  paid  for,  (if  the  poisonous  draught  it  procures 
them  can  be  considered  as  payment,)  is  left  at  their  lodges  until  a 
convenient  opportunity  occurs  of  carrying  it  away.  They  will 
rather  pass  several  days  without  eating  than  touch  the  meat  thus 
intrusted  to  their  charge,  even  when  there  exists  a  prospect  ol 
replacing  it. 

The  hospitality  of  the  Crecs  is  unbounded.    They  afford  a  cer- 
tain asylum  to  the  half-breed  children  when  deserted  by  their  un 
natural  white  fathers;  and  the  infirm,  and  indeed  every  individual 


'H 


Kif 


■■(■ 


W 


m 


A   JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHOKKS 


tk~ 


u 


i' ' 


.     1 


It-  !  ' .,  :•; 


J.  l:=l 


y 


\^' :  f: 


in  an  encampment,  share  the  provisions  of  a  succiessful  hunter  as 
long  as  they  last.  Fond  too  as  a  Cree  is  of  spirituous  liquors,  he 
is  not  happy  unless  all  his  neighbours  partake  with  him.  It  is  not 
easy,  however,  to  say  what  share  ostentation  may  have  in  the  ap- 
parent munificence  in  the  latter  article;  for  when  an  Indian,  by 
a  good  hunt,  is  enabled  to  treat  the  others  with  a  keg  of  rum,  he 
becomes  the  chief  of  a  night,  assumes  no  little  stateliness  of  man- 
ner, and  is  treated  with  deference  by  those  who  regale  at  his  ex- 
pense. Prompted  also  by  the  desire  of  gaining  a  name,  they  lavish 
away  the  articles  they  purchase  at  the  trading  posts,  and  are  well 
satisfied  if  repaid  in  praise. 

Gaming  is  not  uncommon  amongst  the  Crees  of  all  the  different 
districts,  but  it  is  pursued  to  greater  lengths  by  those  bands  who 
frequent  the  plains,  and  who,  from  the  ease  with  which  they  ob- 
tain food,  have  abundant  leisure.  The  game  most  in  use  amongst 
them,  termed  puckesanu,  is  played  with  the  stones  of  a  species  of 
prunuft  which,  from  this  circumstance,  they  term  puckesann- 
meena.  The  difficulty  lies  in  guessing  the  number  of  stones 
which  are  tossed  out  of  a  small  wooden  dish,  and  the  hunters  will 
spend  whole  nights  at  the  destructive  sport,  staking  their  most 
valuable  articles,  powder  and  shot. 

It  has  been  remarked  by  some  w^riters  that  the  aboriginal  inha- 
bitants of  America  are  deficient  in  passion  for  the  fair  sex.  This  is 
by  no  means  the  case  with  the  Crees ;  on  the  contrary,  their  prac- 
tice of  seducing  each  other's  wives,  proves  the  most  fertile  source 
of  their  quarrels.  When  the  guilty  pair  are  detected,  the  woman 
generally  receives  a  severe  beating,  but  the  husband  is,  for  the 
most  part,  afraid  to  reproach  the  male  culprit  until  they  get  drunk 
together  at  the  fort ;  then  the  remembrance  of  the  offence  is  re- 
vived, a  struggle  ensues,  and  the  affair  is  terminated  by  the  loss  of 
a  few  handfuls  of  hair.  Some  husbands,  however,  feel  more 
deeply  the  injury  done  to  their  honour,  and  seek  revenge  even  in 
their  sober  moments.  In  such  cases  it  is  not  uncommon  for  the 
offended  party  to  walk  with  great  gravity  up  to  the  other,  and  de- 
liberately seizing  his  gun,  or  some  other  article  of  value,  to  break 
it  before  his  face.  The  adulterer  looks  on  in  silence,  airaid  to 
make  any  attempt  to  save  his  property.     In  this  respect,  indeed, 


i 


H 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


$^ 


Uie  Indian  character  seems  to  differ  from  the  European,  that  an 
Indian,  instead  of  letting  his  anger  increase  with  that  of  his  anta- 
gonist, assumes  the  utmost  coolness,  lest  he  should  push  him  to 
extremities. 

Altiiough  adultery  is  sometimes  punished  amongst  the  Crees  in 
the  manner  above  described,  yet  it  is  no  crime,  provided  the  hus- 
band receives  a  valuable  consideratioi  for  his  wife's  prostitution. 
In  this  case  she  is  only  lent  to  a  friend.  Neither  is  chastity  con- 
sidered as  a  virtue  in  a  female  before  marriage,  that  is,  before  she 
becomes  the  exclusive  property  of  one  hunter. 

The  Cree  women  are  not  in  general  treated  harshly  by  their 
husbands,  and  possess  considerable  influence  over  them.  They 
often  eat,  and  even  get  drunk,  in  consort  with  the  men  ;  a  consi- 
derable portion  of  the  labour,  however,  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  wife. 
She  makes  the  hut,  cooks,  dresses  the  skins,  and,  for  the  most  part, 
carries  the  heaviest  load ;  but,  when  she  is  unable  to  perform  her 
task,  the  husband  does  not  consider  it  beneath  his  dignity  to  assist 
her.  In  illustration  of  this  remark,  I  may  quote  the  case  of  an 
Indian  who  visited  the  fort  in  winter.  This  poor  man's  wife  had 
lost  her  feet  by  the  frost,  and  he  was  compelled,  not  only  to  hunt, 
and  do  all  the  menial  offices  himself,  but  in  winter  to  drag  his  wife 
with  their  stock  of  furniture  from  one  encampment  to  another.  In 
iiie  performance  of  this  duty,  as  he  could  not  keep  pace  with  the 
rest  of  the  tribe  in  their  movements,  he,  more  than  once,  nearly 
perished  of  hunger. 

These  Indians,  however,  capable  as  they  are  of  behaving  thus 
kindly,  affect  in  their  discourse  to  despise  the  softer  sex,  and  on 
solemn  occasions  will  not  suffer  them  to  eat  before  them,  or  even 
come  into  their  presence.  In  this  they  are  countenanced  by  the 
white  residents,  most  of  whom  have  Indian  or  half-breed  wives, 
but  seem  afraid  of  treatinj^;  them  with  the  tenderness  or  attention 
due  to  every  female,  lest  they  should  themselves  be  despised  by 
the  Indians.  At  least,  this  is  the  only  reason  they  assign  for  their 
neglect  of  those  whom  they  make  partners  of  their  beds  and  mo- 
thers of  their  children. 

Both  sexes  are  fond  of,  and  excessively  indulgent  to,  their 
children.    The  father  never  punishes  them,  and  if  the  mother, 


I 


9 1  'i  * 


*.4 


IS" 'J 


M 


y^i 


m 


% 


!:;v*' 


fx'- 


li     ■        1  I  , 


If  ' 


64 


A    JOUUNKY     ro     lllli    SUOKKS 


more  hasty  in  her  temper,  sometimes  bestows  a  blow  or  two  un 
a  troublesome  obiM,  her  heart  is  instantly  softened  by  the  roar 
which  follows,  and  she  mingles  her  tears  with  those  that  streak 
the  smoky  face  of  her  «larlinp;.  It  may  be  fairly  said,  thcrj,  that 
restraint  or  punishment  forms  no  part  of  the  education  of  an  In- 
dian child,  nor  arc  they  early  trained  to  that  command  over  their 
temper  which  they  exhibit  in  after  years. 

The  discourse  of  the  j)arents  is  never  restrained  by  the  presence 
of  their  children,  every  transaction  between  the  sexes  beinj^  openly 
talked  of  before  them.  This  is  done  from  principle,  that  a  child 
may  not  grow  up  ignorant  of  what  they  consider  as  necessary  1o 
be  known ;  accordingly  a  boy  is,  from  his  infancy,  acquainted  with 
all  the  mysteries  of  the  sex,  and  the  mother  takes  care  that  the 
girls  shall  not  fall  short  of  their  brothers  in  their  education. 

The  Crees  having  early  obtained  arms  from  the  Knropean 
traders,  were  enabled  to  make  harassing  inroads  on  the  lands  of 
their  neighbours,  and  are  known  to  have  made  war  excursions  as  far 
to  the  westward  as  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  to  the  northward 
as  far  as  M'Kcnzie's  River;  but  their  enemies  being  now  as  well 
armed  as  themselves,  the  case  is  much  altered.  ?  *    ^  . 

They  shew  great  fortitude  in  the  endurance  of  hunger,  and  the 
other  evils  incident  to  a  hunter's  life ;  but  any  unusual  accident 
dispirits  them  at  once,  and  they  seldom  venture  to  meet  their  ene- 
mies in  open  warfare,  or  to  attack  them  even  by  surprise,  unless 
with  the  advantage  of  superiority  of  numbers.  Perhaps  they  arc 
much  deteriorated  in  this  respect  by  their  intercourse  with  Euro- 
peans. Their  existence  at  present  hangs  upon  the  supplies  of 
ammunition  and  clothing  they  receive  from  the  traders,  and  they 
deeply  feel  their  dependant  situation.  But  their  character  has 
been  still  more  debased  by  the  passion  for  spirituous  liquors,  so  as- 
siduously fostered  among  them.  To  obtain  the  noxious  beverage, 
they  descend  to  the  most  humiliating  entreaties,  and  assume  an 
abjectness  of  behaviour  which  does  not  seem  natural  to  them,  and 
of  which  not  a  vestige  is  to  be  seen  in  their  intercourse  with  each 
other.  Their  character  has  sunk  among  the  neighbouring  nations. 
They  are  no  longer  the  warriors  who  drove  before  them  the  in- 
habitants of  the  Saskatchawan  and  Mississippi.     The  Cumberland 


OF    THE    POLAR    SKA. 


63 


House  Crees  in  particular,  have  been  disused  to  war.  Betwixt 
Ihem  and  their  ancient  cnennies,  the  Slave  nations,  lie  the  exten- 
sive plains  of  the  Saskatchawan,  inhabited  by  the  powerful  As- 
seencepoytuck,  or  Stone  Indians,  who  having,  whilst  yet  a  small 
tribe,  entered  the  country  under  the  patronaujc  of  the  Crees,  now 
render  back  the  protection  they  received.  The  manners  and  cus- 
toms of  ti)e  Crees  have,  probably,  since  their  acquaintance  with 
Kuropoans,  undergone  a  change,  at  least,  equal  to  that  which  has 
taken  place  in  their  moral  character;  and,  although  we  heard  of 
many  practices  peculiar  to  them,  yet  they  appeared  to  be  nearly 
as  much  honoured  in  tlie  breach  as  the  observance.  We  shall, 
however,  briefly  notice  a  lew  of  the  most  remarkable  customs. 

When  a  hunter  marries  his  first  wife,  he  usually  takes  up  his 
abode  in  the  tent  of  his  father-in-law,  and  of  course  hunts  for  the 
familv  ;  but  when  he  becomes  a  father,  the  Aimilies  are  at  liberty 
to  separate,  or  remain  together,  as  their  inclinations  prompt  them. 
His  second  wife  is  for  the  most  part  the  sister  of  the  first,  but  not 
necessarily  so,  for  an  Indian  of  another  family  often  presses  his 
(laughter  upon  a  hunter  whom  he  knows  to  be  capable  of  main- 
taining her  well.  The  first  wife  always  remains  the  mistress  of 
the  tent,  and  assumes  an  authority  over  the  others,  which  is  not 
in  every  case  quietly  submitted  to.  It  may  be  remarked,  that 
whilst  an  Indian  resides  with  his  wife's  family,  it  is  extremely 
improper  for  his  mother-in-law  to  speak,  or  even  look  at  him ; 
and  when  she  has  a  communication  to  make,  it  is  the  etiquette 
that  she  should  turn  her  back  upon  him,  and  address  him  only 
through  the  medium  of  a  third  person.  This  singular  custom  is 
not  very  creditable  to  the  Indians,  if  it  really  had  its  origin  in  the 
cause  which  tliey  at  present  assign  for  it,  namely,  that  a  woman's 
speaking  to  her  son-in-law  is  a  sure  indication  of  her  having  con- 
reived  a  criminal  atiection  for  him. 

It  appears  also  to  have  been  an  ancient  practice  for  an  Indian  to 
avoid  eating  or  sitting  down  in  the  presence  of  the  father-in-law. 
We  received  no  account  of  the  origin  of  this  cu'^^om,  and  it  is  now 
almost  obsolete  amongst  the  Cumberland  House  Crees,  though 
still  partially  observed  by  those  who  frequent  Carlton. 

Tattooing  is  almost  universal  with  the  Crees.     The  women  are 


'  fi 


'5 


*.»'l 


:^M 


(14 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORI  S 


til*'. I 


•(     •   lii; 


\^':m 


'  i''!!';i 


ill  general  content  with  having  one  or  two  lines  drawn  I'rom  llie 
corners  of  the  mouth  towards  tlio  anj^les  of  the  lower  Jaw  ;  hut 
some  of  the  men  have  their  bodies  covered  with  a  great  variety  of 
lines  and  figures.  It  seems  to  he  considered  by  most  rather  as  a 
proof  of  courage  than  an  ornament,  the  operation  being  very  pain- 
ful, and,  if  the  figures  are  numerous  and  intricate,  lasting  several 
days.  The  lines  on  the  face  are  formed  by  dexterously  running 
an  awl  under  the  cuticle,  and  tiien  drawing  a  cord,  dipt  in  char- 
coal and  water,  through  the  canal  thus  formed.  The  punctures  on 
the  body  are  formed  by  needles  of  various  sizes  set  in  a  liamc. 
A  number  of  hawk  bells  attached  to  this  frame  serve  by  their 
noise  to  cover  the  suppressed  groans  of  the  suflTerer,  and,  pro- 
bably for  the  same  reason,  the  process  is  accompanied  with  sing- 
ing. An  indelible  strain  is  produced  by  rubbing  a  little  ftnely- 
powdered  xvillow-charcoal  into  the  punctures.  A  half-breed, 
whose  arm  I  amputated,  declared,  that  tattooing  was  not  only 
the  most  painful  operation  <■''  the  two,  but  rendered  infinitely 
more  difficult  to  bear  by  its  to  lousness,  having  lasted  in  his  case 
three  days. 

A  Cree  woman,  when  visited  by  the  periodical  disorder  incident 
to  the  sex,  is  laid  under  considerable  restraint.  They  are  far, 
however,  from  carrying  matters  to  the  extremities  mentioned  by 
Flearne  in  his  description  of  the  Chepewyans,  or  Northern  Indi- 
ans. She  lives  apart  from  her  husband  also  for  two  months  if 
she  has  borne  a  boy,  and  three  if  she  has  given  birth  to  a  girl. 
Some  niolhers  preserve  a  piece  of  the  navel  string,  sew  it  up  in  a 
bag  neatly  ornamented,  and  suspend  it  as  an  amulet  to  the  outer 
garment  of  the  child. 

Many  of  tiie  Creek  hunters  are  careful  to  prevent  a  woman  from 
partaking  of  the  head  of  a  moose-deer,  lest  it  should  spoil  their 
future  hunts  ;  and  for  the  same  reason  they  avoid  bringing  it  to  a 
fort,  fearing  lest  llio  white  people  should  give  the  bones  to  the 
dogs. 

The  games  or  sports  of  the  Crees  are  various.  One,  termed 
the  game  of  the  Mitten,  is  played  vvilh  four  balls,  three  of  which 
are  plain,  and  one  marked.  These  being  hid  under  as  many 
jnittens,  the  opposite  party  is  required  to  tix  on  that  which  is 


nr: 


^ 


OF    TIIR    POLAR    SF.A. 


It 


vnarkocl.  He  j^ivos  or  receives  a  icatlier  acfonliiicj  as  he  2;ucsscs 
rii^ht  or  wron:;.  WlicJi  tlic  feathers,  wliich  arc  Ion  in  mimhcr, 
have  all  passed  into  one  hand,  a  new  division  is  made  ;  hut  when 
one  of  the  parties  Ql)tains  possession  of  thcin  thrice,  he  scize-^  on 
tlic  stakes. 

The  game  of  Platter  is  more  inti'irate,  and  is  played  with  tho 
claws  of  a  hear,  or  some  other  animal,  marked  with  varions  lines 
and  characters.  These  dice,  which  arc  eiij^ht  in  numi)er,  and  cut 
flat  at  their  lari^e  end,  are  shook  together  in  a  wooden  dish,  tos- 
sed into  the  air  and  caught  again.  The  lines,  traced  on  such 
claws  :.s  happen  to  alight  on  the  platter  in  an  erect  position,  in- 
dicate what  numher  of  counters  the  caster  is  to  receive  from  his 
opj)onent. 

They  have,  however,  a  much  more  maidy  amusement  termed 
the  Cross,  although  they  do  not  engage  even  in  it  without  depo- 
siting considerahlc  stakes.  An  extensive  meadow  is  chosen  for 
this  sport,  and  the  articles  staked  are  tied  to  a  post,  or  deposited 
in  the  custody  of  two  old  men.  Tho  comhalants  being  stript  and 
painted,  and  each  provided  with  a  kind  of  hiUtledoro  or  racket,  in 
shape  resembling  the  letter  P,  with  a  handle  ah  lut  two  feet  long, 
and  a  head  loosely  wrought  with  net-work,  so  as  to  form  a  shal- 
low bag,  rai}gc  themselves  on  diflerent  sides.  A  hall  being  now 
tossed  up  in  the  middle,  each  party  endeavours  to  drive  to  their 
respective  goals,  and  much  dexterity  and  agility  is  displayed  in 
the  contest.  When  a  nienhle  runner  gets  the  ball  in  his  cross,  he 
sets  of  towards  the  goal  with  the  utmost  speed,  and  is  followed  by 
the  rest,  who  endeavour  to  jostle  him  and  shake  it  out ;  but,  if 
hard  pressed,  he  discharges  it  with  a  jerk,  to  be  forwarded  by  his 
own  party,  or  bandied  back  by  their  opponents,  until  the  victory 
is  decided  by  its  passing  the  goal. 

Of  the  religious  opinions  of  the  Crees,  it  is  difficult  to  give  a 
correct  account,  not  only  because  they  shew  a  disinclination  to 
enter  upon  the  subject,  but  because  their  ancient  traditions  are 
mingled  with  the  information  they  have  more  recently  obtained, 
by  their  intercourse  with  Europeans. 

None  of  them  ventured  to  describe  the  original  formation  of  the 
world,  but  they  all  spoke  of  an  universal  deluge,  caused  by  an  at- 


\i 


Hi 


m 


60 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


ff 


\f  '  < 


''^■||: 


tempt  of  the  fish  to  drown  Wacsack-ootchacht,  a  kind  of  demi-}j;oil, 
with  whom  they  had  quarrelled.  Having  constriiclod  a  raft,  he 
embarked  with  his  family,  and  all  kinds  of  birds  and  beasts.  After 
the  flood  had  continued  for  some  time,  he  ordered  several  water- 
fowl to  dive  to  the  bottom  ;  they  wore  all  drowned  :  but  a  musk-rat 
having  been  despatched  on  the  same  errand,  was  more  successful, 
and  returned  with  a  mouthful  of  mud,  out  of  which  VVx'sack- 
ootchacht,  imitating  the  mode  in  which  the  rats  construct  their 
houses,  formed  a  new  earth.  First,  a  small  conical  hill  of  mud 
appeared  above  the  water;  by-and-by,  its  base  gradually  spreading 
out,  it  became  an  extensive  bank,  which  the  rays  of  the  sun  .it 
length  hardened  into  firm  land.  Notwithstanding  the  power  that 
Waesack-ootchacht  here  displayed,  bis  person  is  held  in  very  little 
reverence  by  the  Indians  ;  and,  in  return,  he  seizes  every  oppor- 
tunity of  tormenting  them.  His  conduct  is  far  from  being  moral, 
and  his  amours,  and  the  disguises  he  assumes  in  the  prosecution 
of  them,  are  more  various  and  extraordinary  than  those  of  the 
Grecian  Jupiter  himself:  but  as  his  adventures  are  more  remark- 
able for  their  eccentricity  than  their  delicacy,  it  is  better  to  pass 
them  over  in  silence.  Before  we  quit  him,  however,  we  may  re- 
mark, that  he  converses  with  all  kinds  of  birds  and  beasts  in  their 
own  languages,  constantly  addressing  them  by  the  title  of  brother, 
but  through  an  inherent  suspicion  of  his  intentions,  they  are  seldom 
willing  to  admit  of  his  claims  to  relationship.  The  Indians  make 
no  sacrifices  to  him,  not  even  to  avert'^his  wrath.  They  pay  a 
kind  of  worship,  however,  and  make  offerings  to  a  being,  whom 
they  term  Kepoochikawn. 

This  deity  is  represented  sometimes  by  rude  images  of  the  hu- 
man figure,  but  more  commonly  merely  by  tying  the  tops  of  a  few 
willow  bushes  together;  and  the  ofibrings  to  him  consist  of  every 
thing  that  is  valuable  to  an  Indian ;  yet  they  treat  him  with  con- 
siderable familiarity,  interlarding  their  most  solemn  speeches  with 
expostulations  and  threats  of  neglect,  if  he  fails  in  complying  with 
their  requests.  As  most  of  their  petitions  are  for  plenty  of  food, 
'  they  do  not  trust  entirely  to  the  favour  of  Kepoochikawn,  but  en- 
deavour, at  the  same  time,  to  propitiate  the  animal,  an  imaginary 
representative  of  the  whole  race  of  larger  quadrupeds  that  are  ob- 
jects of  the  chase.  '  • 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


()7 


In  the  month  of  May,  whilst  I  was  at  Carlton  House,  the  Crec 
hunter,  engaged  to  attend  that  post,  resolved  upon  dedicating 
several  articles  to  Kepoochikawn,  and  as  I  had  made  some  inqui- 
I  ius  of  him  respecting  their  modes  of  worship,  he  gave  me  an  in- 
vitation to  be  present.  The  ceieniony  took  place  in  a  sweating- 
house,  or  as  it  may  he  dusignated  from  its  more  important  use,  a 
temple,  which  was  erected  for  tlie  occasion  by  the  worshipper's 
two  wives.  It  was  framed  of  arched  willows,  interlaced  so  as  to 
form  a  vault  cnjjable  of  containing  ten  or  twelve  men,  raiiged 
closely  side  by  side,  and  high  enough  to  admit  of  their  sitting 
erect.  It  was  very  similar  in  shape  to  an  oven,  or  the  kraal  of  a 
Hottentot,  and  was  closely  covered  with  moose  skins,  except  at 
the  east  end,  which  was  left  open  for  a  door.  Near  the  centre  of 
the  building  there  was  a  hole  in  the  ground,  which  contained  ten 
or  twelve  red-hot  stones,  having  a  few  leaves  of  the  taccohayme- 
nan,  a  species  of  pyiinua,  strewed  around  them.  When  the 
women  had  completed  the  preparations,  the  hunter  made  his  ap- 
pearance, perfectly  naked,  carrying  in  his  hand  an  image  of  Ke- 
poochikawn, rudely  carved,  and  about  two  feet  long.  He  placed 
his  god  at  the  upper  end  of  the  sweating-house,  with  his  face  to- 
wards the  door,  and  proceeded  to  tie  round  its  neck  his  offerings, 
consisting  of  a  cotton  handkerchief,  a  looking-glass,  a  tin  pan,  a 
piece  of  riband;  and  a  bit  of  tobacco,  which  he  had  procured  the 
same  day,  at  the  expcncc  of  fifteen  or  twenty  skins.  VVhils  the 
was  thus  occupied,  several  other  Crees,  who  were  encamped  in 
the  neighbourhood,  having  been  informed  of  what  was  going  on, 
arrived,  and  stripping  at  the  door  of  the  temple,  entered,  and 
ranged  themselves  on  each  side  ;  the  hunter  himself  squatted 
down  at  the  right  hand  of  Kepoochikawn.  The  atmosphere  of 
the  temple  having  become  so  hot  that  none  but  zealous  worship- 
pers would  venture  in,  the  interpreter  and  myself  sat  down  on 
the  threshold,  and  the  two  women  remained  on  the  outside  as 
attendants. 

The  hunter,  who  throughout  officiated  as  high  priest,  com- 
menced by  making  a  speech  to  Kepoochikawn,  in  which  he  re-t 
quested  him  to  be  propitious,  told  him  of  the  value  of  the  things 
now  presented,  and  cautioned  him  against  ingratitude.     This  ora- 


iii 


i 


i 


SI  » 


S'^'iS*'^!'!'^'* 


(j3 


A    lOl'UNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


ii* 


I  7-  ■■ 


'111 

t:  : 

r  \  . 
.    V 

• 

1 

dH' 

■'    \ 

r 

^    ~% 

f. 

s 

.!.i' 
^ 

■ 

rT: 


n  '  ' 


lion  was  ilelivcied  in  a  monotonous  tone,  and  willi  great  rapidity 
oi'  utterance,  and  the  sj)caker  retained  liis  squattinaj  posture,  but 
turned  his  fare  to  his  t^od.  At  its  conchision  tlie  priest  l)c<i;an  a 
Ijynin,  of  which  the  burthen  was,  "  I  will  walk  with  God,  I  will 
j!;o  with  the  animal  ;"  and,  at  the  end  of  each  stanza,  the  rest 
joined  in  an  insi2;nilicant  chorus,  lie  next  took  up  a  calumetj 
tilled  witii  a  mixture  ol"  tobacco,  and  bear-berry  leaves,  and  hold- 
inir;  its  stem  by  the  middle,  in  a  horizontal  position,  over  the  hot 
stones,  turned  it  slowly  in  a  circular  manner,  fullowinj!;  the  course 
of  the  sun.  Its  mouth-piece  beins;  then,  with  much  formality, 
hcUl  for  a  few  seconds  to  the  face  of  Kepoochikawn,  it  was  next 
presented  lo  the  earth,  liavina;  l)ocn  previously  turned  a  second 
time  over  the  hot  stones;  and  tifterwards,  with  equal  ceremony, 
pointed  in  succession  to  the  lour  quarters  of  the  sky  ;  then  draw- 
ing a  lew  whillii  from  the  calumet  himself,  he  handed  it  to  his 
left-hand  nci^j^hbour,  by  whom  it  was  gravely  passed  round  the 
circle  ;  the  interpreter  and  myself,  who  were  seated  at  tiic  door, 
were  asked  to  j)artakc  in  our  turn,  but  requested  to  keep  the  head 
of  the  calumet  within  the  threshold  of  the  sweating-house.  When 
ihc  toljacco  was  exhausted  by  passing  several  times  round,  the 
Imntcr  made  another  speech,  similar  to  liie  former ;  but  was,  if 
possible,  still  more  urgent  in  his  requests.  A  second  hymn  fol- 
lowed, and  a  quantity  of  water  being  sprinkled  on  the  hot  stones, 
the  attendants  were  ordered  to  close  the  temple,  which  they  did, 
by  very  carefully  covering  it  up  vith  moose  skins.  We  had  no 
means  of  ascertaining  the  temperature  of  the  sweating-house;  but 
before  it  was  closed,  not  only  those  within,  but  also  the  spectators 
witliout,  were  perspiring  freely.  They  continued  in  the  vapour 
])ath  fur  thirty-live  minutes,  during  which  time  a  third  speech  was 
made,  and  a  hymn  was  sung,  and  water  occasionally  sprinkled  on 
tiic  stones,  which  still  retcincd  much  heat,  as  was  evident  from 
the  hissing  noise  they  ]\iade.  The  coverings  were  then  thrown 
ofl',  and  the  poor  half-stewed  worshippers  exposed  freely  to  the 
air  ;  but  they  kept  their  stjuatti ng  postures  until  a  fourth  speech 
was  )nade,  in  \vhich  the  deity  was  stroupj^y  reminded  of  the  value 
of  tile  gifts,  and  exhorted  to  take  an  early  opportunity  of  showing 
|::s  uiatituiio.     TIk:  ceremonv  conckide'l  bv  the  sweaters  scam- 


.4 

I 


*    -A     .      . 


or    THE    VOLAR    SF.A.. 


69 


poring;  down  to  the  river,  and  jiiun<;ii;;^  into  tlic  strcnm.  It  niiiy 
be  remarked,  that  the  door  of  tin;  (enisle,  and,  of  course,  the  )u;g 
of  the  ,ii;o'',  was  turned  to  ihe  rising-  sun  ;  and  the  spectators  were 
desired  not  to  block  up  entirely  the  front  of  tiic  building,  but  to 
leave  a  lane  for  tiie  entrance  or  exit  of  sonic  influence  of  whioh 
they  couhl  not  ^Ive  mo  a  correct  description.  Several  Indian^;, 
who  lay  on  the  outside  of  the  sYNeatinic-house  as  sjiectators,  seemed 
to  rej^ard  the  procee(iin<;s  with  very  little  awe,  and  were  extremely 
free  in  the  remarks  and  jokes  ih(3y  ])assed  upon  the  condition  of 
the  sweaters,  and  even  of  Kepoochikawn  himself.  One  of  them 
made  a  remark,  tliat  the  shawl  would  have  been  much  better  l>c- 
stowed  upon  himself  than  upoi;  Kepoochikawn,  but  the  ;samc 
I'cilow  afterwards  stripped  and  joined  in  the  ceremony. 

I  did  not  learn  that  the  Indians  worship  any  other  god  by  a 
specific  name.  They  often  refer,  howe\'er,  to  the  Keetchce-Ma- 
neeto,  or  Great  Master  of  I^ife  ;  and  to  an  evil  spirit,  or  Maatchc- 
Manecto.  Tl  ey  also  speak  of  Weettako,  a  kind  of  vampyi'e  or 
devil,  into  which  those  who  have  fed  on  human  flesh  are  trans- 
formed. ■    ' 

Whilst  at  Carlton,  I  took  an  opportunity  of  asking  a  communi- 
cative old  Indian,  of  the  IJIackfoot  nation,  his  opinion  of  a  future 
state  ;  he  replied,  that  they  had  heai d  from  their  fathers,  that  tlio 
souls  of  the  departed  have  to  scramble  with  great  labour  up  the 
sides  of  a  steep  mountain,  upon  attaining  the  summit  of  which 
they  are  rewarded  with  the  f)ros|)ect  of  ;m  extensive  plain,  inter- 
spersed here  and  there  with  new  tents,  pitched  in  agreeable  silu- 
ationf5,  and  abounding  in  all  sorts  of  game.  Whilst  they  arc  ab- 
sorbed in  the  contemplation  of  this  delightful  scene,  they  are  des- 
cried by  the  inhabitants  of  the  happy  land,  \vho,  clothed  in  new 
skins,  approach  and  welcome  with  every  demonstration  of  kind- 
ness those  Indians  who  have  led  good  lives ;  but  the  bad  Indians, 
who  have  imbrued  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  their  countrymen, 
are  told  to  return  Irom  whence  they  came,  and  without  more  ce- 
remony ])recipitated  down  the  sleep  sides  of  the  mountain. 

Women,  who  have  been  guilty  of  infanticide,  never  reach  the 
mountain  at  all,  but  are  compelled  to  hover  round  the  seats  of 
their  crimes,  with  branches  of  trees  tied  to  t.'ieir  legs.     The  me- 


y  m 


iifi 


■If  M 


fO 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SlIOREf", 


lancholx'^  sounds,  which  are  heard  in  the  still  sunnmer  evenings, 
and  which  the  iji;norance  of  the  white  people  considers  as  the 
screams  of  the  goat-sucker,  are  really,  according  to  my  informant, 
the  meanings  of  these  unhappy  beings. 

The  Crees  have  somewhat  similar  notions,  but  as  they  inhabit 
a  country  widely  ditl'erent  from  the  mountainous  lands  of  the 
Blackfoot  Indians,  the  difficulty  of  their  journey  lies  in  walking 
along  a  slender  and  slippery  tree,  laid  as  a  bridge  across  a  rapid 
stream  of  stinking  and  muddy  water.  The  night  owl  is  regarded 
by  the  Crees  with  the  same  dread  that  it  has  been  viewed  by  other 
nations.  One  small  species,  which  is  known  to  them  by  its  me- 
lancholy nocturnal  hootings,  (for  as  it  never  appears  in  the  day, 
few  even  of  the  hunters  have  ever  seen  it)  is  particularly  ominous. 
They  call  it  the  cheepai-peethces,  or  death  bird,  and  never  fail  to 
whistle  when  they  hear  its  note.  If  it  does  not  reply  to  the  whis- 
tle by  its  hootings,  the  speedy  death  of  the  inquirer  is  augured.    \ 

When  a  Cree  dies,  that  part  of  his  property,  which  he  has  not 
given  away  before  his  death,  is  burned  with  him,  and  his  relations 
take  care  to  place  near  the  grave  little  heaps  of  lire-wood,  food, 
pieces  of  tobacco,  and  such  things  as  he  is  likely  to  need  in  his 
journey.  Similar  offerings  are  made  when  they  revisit  the  grave, 
and  as  kettles,  and  other  articles  of  value,  are  sometimes  offered, 
they  are  frequently  carried  off  by  passengers,  yet  the  relations  are 
not  disj)leased,  provided  sufficient  respect  has  been  shewn  to  the 
dead,  by  putting  some  other  article,  although  of  inferior  value,  in 
the  place  of  that  which  has  been  taken  away. 

Tiie  Crees  are  wont  to  celebrate  the  returns  of  the  seasons  by 
religious  festivals,  but  we  are  unable  to  describe  the  ceremonial 
m  use  on  these  joyous  occasions  from  personal  observation.  The 
following  brief  notice  of  a  feast,  which  was  given  by  an  old  Cree 
chief,  according  to  his  annual  custom,  on  the  first  croaking  of  the 
iVogs,  is  drawn  up  from  the  information  of  one  of  the  guests.     A 


large 


oblong  tent-  or  lodge,  was  prepared  for  the  important  oc- 


tali 


en 


rasion,  by  the  men  of  the  party,  none  of  the  women  bei 
cd  to  interlerc.     It  faced  the  setting  sun,  and  great  care  was 
that  every  thing  about  it  should  be  as  neat  and  clean  as  possible. 
Three  fire-places  were  raised  within  it,  at  equal  distances,  and 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


71 


little  lioles  were  dug  in  tho  corners  to  contain  the  ashes  of  their 
nines.  In  a  recess,  at  its  upper  end,  one  large  inia;i;c  of  Kepoo- 
chikawn,  and  many  smaller  ones,  were  rangcil  with  their  faces 
towards  the  door.  The  food  was  prei)arcd  by  the  cliief's  wife, 
and  consisted  of  wir/;voi6'-j)cmican.  berries  boiled  with  fat,  and  va- 
rious other  delicacies  that  had  iicen  preserved  for  the  occasion. 

The  preparations  being  completed,  and  a  slave,  whom  tlie  chief 
had  taken  in  war,  having  warned  the  guests  to  the  feast  by  the 
mysterious  word  peenaskcway,  they  came,  dressed  out  in  their 
best  garments,  and  ranged  themselves  according  to  their  senio- 
rity, the  elders  seating  themselves  next  the  chief  at  the  upper  end, 
and  the  young  men  near  the  door. 

The  chief  commenced  by  addressing  his  deities  in  an  appro- 
priate speech,  in  which  he  told  them,  that  he  had  hastened  as  soon 
as  summer  was  indicated  by  the  croaking  of  the  frogs,  to  solicit 
their  favour  for  himself  and  his  young  men,  and  hoped  that  they 
would  send  him  a  pleasant  and  plentiful  season.  His  oration  was 
concluded  by  an  invocation  to  all  the  animals  in  the  land,  and  a 
signal  being  given  to  the  slave  at  the  door,  he  invited  them  sever- 
ally by  their  names  to  come  and  partake  of  the  feast. 

The  Cree  chief  having  by  this  very  general  invitation  displayed 
his  unbounded  hospitality,  next  ordered  one  of  the  young  men  to 
distribute  a  mess  to  each  of  the  guests.  This  was  done  in  new 
dishes  of  birch  bark,  and  the  utmost  diligence  was  displayed  in 
emptying  them,  it  being  considered  extremely  improper  in  a  man 
to  leave  any  part  of  that  vvuich  is  placed  before  him  on  such  oc- 
casions. It  is  not  inconsistent  with  good  manners  however,  but 
rather  considered  as  a  piece  of  politeness,  that  a  guest  who  has  been 
too  liberally  supplied,  should  hand  the  surplus  to  his  neighbour. 
When  the  viands  had  disappeared,  each  fdled  his  calumet  and  be- 
gan to  smoke  with  great  assiduity,  and  in  the  course  of  the  even- 
ing several  songs  were  sung  to  the  responsive  sounds  of  the  drum 
and  soeseequay,  their  usual  accompaniments. 

The  Cree  drum  is  double-headed,  but  possessing  very  little 
depth,  it  strongly  resembles  a  tambourine  in  shape.  Its  want  of 
depth  is  compensated,  however,  by  its  diameter,  which  frequently 
exceeds  three  feet.  It  is  covered  with  moose  skin  parchment, 
painted  with  rude  figures  of  men  and  beasts,  having  various  fan- 


V 

'fl 

lip 

r 

^1| 

4k 

V 

R||Bi>  'a 

mw^ 


\  j()UiiNi:v  TO  Tin:  shoklo 


i   't 


I 


tastic  atklilioiis,  and  is  beat  with  a  stick,  i'lic  scescc(|uay  is  tryroly 
a  rattle,  I'onned  by  clo.siny;  a  few  jjiraius  of  shot  in  a  piece  ol"  dried 
Ijidc.  Tiicsc  two  iiistrumenls  aie  used  in  all  their  relij;MOiis  cere- 
inonies,  except  tiiosc  which  take  place  in  a  sweatin5;-honse. 

A  Crce  jjlaces  great  I'eliance  on  his  drum,  and  I  cannot  ad- 
duce a  stronger  instance  than  that  of  the  poor  man  who  is  men- 
tioned in  a  preceding  page,  as  having  lost  his  only  child  by  fa- 
mine, almost  within  sight  of  the  fort.  Notwiihstanding  his  ex- 
hausted state,  he  travelled  with  an  enormous  drum  tied  to  his 
back.  .  "  ■ 

Many  of  the  Crees  make  vows  to  abstain  from  particular  kinds 
of  iood,  cither  for  a  specific  time,  or  for  the  remainder  of  their  life, 
esieeming  such  abstinence  to  be  a  certain  means  of  acquiring  some 
supernatural  powers,  or  at  least  of  entailing  upon  themselves  a 
succession  of  iiiood  fortune. 

One  of  the  wives  of  the  Carlton  hunter,  of  whoni  we  have  al- 
ready spoken  as  the  \vorshipper  of  Kepoociiikawn,  made  a  de- 
termination not  to  eat  of  the  flesh  of  the  Wavvaskeesh,  or  Ame- 
rican stag ;  but  during  our  abode  at  that  place,  she  was  inducetl 
to  feed  heartily  upon  it,  through  the  intentional  deceit  of  her  hus- 
band, who  told  her  tliat  It  was  bulTalo  meat.  When  she  had 
finished  her  meal,  her  husband  told  her  of  the  trick,  and  seemed 
to  enjoy  the  terror  with  which  slic  contemplated  the  consequen- 
ces of  the  involuntary  breach  of  her  vow.  Vows  of  this  nature 
are  often  made  by  a  Cree  before  he  joins  a  war  party,  and  they 
sometimes,  like  the  eastern  bonzes,  walk  for  a  certain  number 
of  days  on  all  fours,  or  impose  upon  themselves  some  other 
penance,  equally  ridiculous.  By  such  means  the  Cree  warrior 
becomes  god-like;  but  unless  he  kills  an  enemy  before  his  re- 
turn, his  newly -acquired  powers  are  esteemed  to  be  productive 
in  future  of  some  direful  consecpience  to  himself. 

As  we  did  not  witness  any  of  the  Cree  dances  ourselves,  we 
shall  merely  mention,  that  like  tlic  other  North  American  na- 
tions, they  arc  accustomed  to  practise  that  amusement  on  meeting 
with  strange  tribes,  before  going  to  \var,  and  on  other  solenui 
occasions. 

The  habitual  intoxication  of  the  Cumberland  House  frees  lias 
induced  such  a  disregard  of  personal  appearance  that  they  are 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


1^ 


I'. -a 


*  i 


squalid  and  dirty  in  tiic  oxtrome;  liencc  a  minute  description  of 
their  clothine;  would  be  by  no  means  interesting.  We  shall,  there- 
fore, only  remark  in  a  2;eneral  manner,  that  the  dress  of  the  males 
consists  of  a  blanket  thrown  over  the  shoulders,  a  leathern  shirt  or 
jacket,  and  a  piece  of  cloth  tied  round  the  middle.  The  women 
have  in  addition  a  lono:  petticoat ;  and  both  sexes  wear  a  kind  of 
wide  hose,  which  reaching  from  the  ankle  to  the  middle  of  the 
thigh,  are  suspended  by  strings  to  the  girdle.  These  hose,  or  as 
they  are  termed,  Indian  stockings,  are  commonly  ornamented 
with  beads  or  ribands,  and  from  their  convenience,  have  been 
universally  adopted  by  the  white  residents,  as  an  essential  part  of 
their  winter  clothing.  Their  shoes,  or  rather  short  boots,  for 
thc}^  tie  round  tlic  ankle,  are  made  of  soft  dressed  moose  skins, 
and  during  tiic  winter  they  wrap  several  pieces  of  blanket  round 
their  feet. 

They  are  fond  of  European  articles  of  dress,  considering  it  as 
mean  to  be  dressed  entirely  in  leather,  and  the  hunters  are  gene- 
rally furnished  annually  with  a  capof  or  greatcoat,  and  the  women 
with  shawls,  printed  calicoes,  and  other  things  very  unsuitable  to 
their  mode  of  life,  but  which  they  wear  in  imitation  of  the  wives 
of  the  traders;  all  these  articles,  however  showy  they  may  be  at 
first,  arc  soon  reduced  to  a  very  filthy  condition  by  the  Indian 
custom  of  greasing  the  face  and  hair  with  soft  fat  or  marrow,  in- 
stead of  washing  them  with  water.  This  practice  they  say  pre- 
serves the  skin  soft,  and  protects  it  from  cold  in  the  winter,  and 
the  moschetoes  in  siunmer,  but  it  renders  their  presence  disagree- 
able to  the  olfactory  organs  of  an  Kurojiean,  particularly  when 
they  are  seated  in  a  close  tent  and  near  a  hot  fire. 

The  only  peculiarity  which  we  observed  in  their  mode  of  rear- 
ing children,  consists  in  the  use  of  a  sort  of  cradle,  extremely  well 
adapted  to  their  mode  of  life-  The  infant  is  placed  in  the  bag, 
having  its  lower  extremities  wrapt  up  in  soft  sphagnum  or  bog- 
moss,  and  may  be  hung  up  in  the  tent,  or  to  the  branch  of  a  tree, 
ivithout  the  least  danger  of  tumbling  out ;  or  in  a  journey  sus- 
pended on  the  mother's  back,  by  a  band  which  crosses  the  fore- 
head, so  as  to  leave  her  hands  perfectly  fre(!.  It  is  one  of  the  neat- 
est articl^is  of  furniture  they  possess,  being  tj;enerally  ornamented 


\W^ 


15' U; 


'?4 


A    JOURNKY    TO    THE    SHORES 


with  heads,  and  bits  of  scarlet  cloth,  but  it  bears  a  very  strong  r«- 
^cmblanco  in  its  form  to  a  mummy  case. 

The  spha{!;nnm  in  which  the  child  is  laid,  forms  a  .foft  elastic 
bed,  which  absorbs  moisture  very  readily,  and  affords  such  a  pro- 
tection from  the  cold  of  a  rigorous  winter,  that  its  place  would  be 
ill  supplied  by  cloth. 

The  mothers  are  careful  to  collect  a  sufficient  quantity  in  autumn 
for  winter  use ;  but  when  throue;h  accident  their  stock  fails,  they 
have  recourse  to  the  soft  down  of  the  typha,  or  reed  mace,  the 
dust  of  rotten  wood,  or  even  feathers,  although  none  of  these  arti- 
cles are  so  cleanly,  or  so  easily  changed,  as  the  sphagnum. 

The  above  is  a  brief  sketch  of  such  parts  of  the  manners,  cha- 
racter, and  customs  of  the  Crees,  as  we  could  collect  from  personal 
observation,  or  from  tiie  information  of  the  most  intelligent  half- 
hreeds  we  met  with ;  and  we  shall  merely  add  a  few  remarks  on 
the  manner  in  which  the  trade  is  conducted  at  the  different  inland 
posts  of  the  fur  Companies. 

The  standard  of  exchange  in  all  mercantile  transactions  with  the 
natives  is  a  beaver  skin,  the  relative  value  of  which,  as  originally 
established  by  the  traders,  differs  considerably  from  the  present 
worth  of  the  articles  it  represents ;  but  the  Indians  are  averse  to 
change.  Three  martin,  eight  musk-rat,  or  a  single  lynx,  or  wol- 
verene skin,  are  equivalent  to  one  beaver;  a  silver  fox,  white  fox, 
or  otter,  are  reckoned  two  beavers,  and  a  black  fox,  or  large  black 
bear,  are  equal  to  four;  a  mode  of  reckoning  which  has  very  little 
connexion  willi  the  real  value  of  these  different  furs  in  the  Euro- 
pean market.  Neither  has  any  attention  been  paid  to  the  original 
cost  of  European  articles,  in  fixing  the  tarif  by  which  they  are  sold 
to  the  Indians.  A  coarse  butcher's  knife  is  one  skin,  a  woollen 
])lanket  or  a  fathom  of  coarse  cloth  eight,  and  a  fowling-piece 
fifteen.  The  Indians  receive  their  principal  outfit  of  clothing  and 
ammunition  on  credit  in  the  autumn,  to  be  repaid  by  their  winter 
hunts;  the  amount  intrusted  to  each  of  the  hunters,  varying  with 
their  reputations  for  industry  and  skill,  from  twenty  to  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  skins.  The  Indians  are  generally  anxious  to  pay 
off  the  debt  thus  incurred,  but  their  good  intentions  arc  often  frus- 
trated by  the  arts  of  tiic  rival  traders.     Each  of  the  Companies 


I 


m 


OF  THE  POLAR  SLA. 


75 


keeps  men  constantly  employed  travellina;  over  the  country  during 
the  winter,  to  collect  the  furs  from  the  different  bands  of  hunters 
as  fast  as  they  are  procured.  The  poor  Indian  endeavours  to  be- 
have honestly,  and  when  he  has  gathered  a  few  skins  sendj  notice 
to  the  post  from  whence  he  procured  his  supplies,  but  if  discover- 
ed in  the  mean  time  by  the  opposite  party,  he  is  seldom  proof 
against  the  temptation  to  which  he  is  exposed.  However  firm  he 
may  be  in  his  denials  at  first,  his  resolutions  are  enfeebled  by  the 
sight  of  a  little  rum,  and  when  he  has  tasted  the  intoxicating  be- 
verage, they  vanish  like  smoke,  and  he  brings  forth  his  store  of 
furs,  which  he  has  carefully  concealed  from  the  scrutinizing  eyes 
of  his  visitors.  This  mode  of  carrying  on  the  trade  not  only 
causes  the  amount  of  furs,  collected  by  either  of  the  two  Compa- 
nies, to  depend  more  upon  the  activity  of  their  agents,  the  know- 
ledge they  possess  of  the  motions  of  the  Indians,  and  the  quantity 
of  rum  they  carry,  than  upon  the  liberality  of  the  credits  they  give, 
but  is  also  productive  of  an  increasing  deterioration  of  the  cha- 
racter of  the  Indians,  and  will,  probably,  ultimately  prove  de- 
structive to  the  fur  trade  itself.  Indeed  the  evil  has  already,  in 
part,  recoiled  upon  the  traders;  for  the  Indians,  long  deceived, 
have  become  deceivers  in  their  turn,  and  not  unfrequently  after 
having  incurred  a  heavy  debt  at  one  post,  move  off  to  another,  to 
play  the  same  game.  In  some  cases  the  rival  posts  have  entered 
into  a  mutual  agreement,  to  trade  only  with  the  Indians  they  have 
respectively  fitted  out;  but  such  treaties,  being  seldom  rigidly 
adhered  to,  prove  a  fertile  subject  for  disputes,  and  the  differences 
have  been  more  than  once  decided  by  force  of  arms.  To  carry 
on  the  contest,  the  two  Companies  are  obliged  to  employ  a  great 
many  servants,  whom  they  maintain  often  with  much  difficulty, 
and  always  at  a  considerable  expense.         ,  .      '  . 

There  are  thirty  men  belonging  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Fort  at 
Cumberland,  and  nearly  as  many  women  and  children. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  North  West  Company's  house  are  still 
more  numerous.  These  large  families  are  fed  during  the  greatest 
part  of  the  year  on  fish,  whicii  are  principally  procured  at  fieaver 
Lake,  about  fifty  miles  distant.  The  fishery  commencing  with  the 
rtrst  frosts  in  autumn,  continues  abundant  till  Januarvj  and  the 


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A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


jjroducc  is  ilragged  over  the  snow  on  sledges,  each  'lr.i\vn  by  three 
dogs,  and  carrying  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  The 
Journey  to  and  from  the  lake  occupies  five  days,  and  every  sledge 
requires  a  driver.  About  three  thousand  fish,  averaging  three 
pounds  a  piece,  were  caught  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  fishermen  last 
season ;  in  addition  to  which  a  few  sturgeon  were  occasionally 
caught  in  Pine  Island  Lake ;  and  towards  the  spring  ^  consider- 
able quantity  of  moose  meat  was  procured  from  the  Basquian  Hill, 
sixty  or  seventy  miles  distant.  The  rest  of  winter's  provision 
consisted  of  geese,  salted  in  the  autumn,  and  of  dried  meats  and 
pemmican,  obtained  from  the  provision  posts  on  the  plains  of  the 
Saskatchawan.  A  good  many  potatoes  are  also  raised  at  this  post, 
and  a  small  supply  of  tea  and  sugar  is  brought  from  the  depot  at 
York  Factory.  The  provisions  obtained  from  these  various 
sources  were  amply  sufficient  in  the  winter  of  1819-20;  but 
through  improvidence  this  post  has  in  former  seasons  been  re- 
duced to  great  straits.  .    ,,>    ; 

Many  of  the  labourers,  and  a  great  majority  of  the  agents  and 
clerks  employed  by  the  two  Companies,  have  Indian  or  half- 
breed  wives,  and  the  mixed  offspring  thus  produced  has  become 
extremely  numerous.  ..  v 

These  metifs,  or  as  the  Canadians  term  them,  bois-hurUsy  are 
upon  the  whole  a  good  looking  people,  and  where  the  experi- 
ment has  been  made,  have  shewn  much  aptness  in  learning,  and 
willingness  to  be  taught ;  they  have,  however,  been  sadly  neglect- 
ed. The  example  of  their  fathers  has  released  them  from  the 
restraint  iir.posed  by  the  Indian  opinions  of  good  and  bad  be- 
haviour; imd,  generally  speaking,  no  pains  have  been  taken  to 
fill  the  void  with  better  pinciples.  Hence  it  is  not  surprising  that 
the  males,  trained  up  in  the  high  opinion  of  the  authority  and 
rights  of  the  Company  to  which  their  fathers  belonged,  and  un- 
acquainted with  the  laws  of  the  civilized  world,  should  be  ready 
to  engage  in  any  measure  whatever,  that  they  are  prompted  to 
believe  will  forward  the  interests  of  the  cause  they  espouse.  Nor 
that  the  girls,  taught  a  certain  degree  of  refinement  by  the  ac- 
quisition of  an  European  language,  should  be  inflamed  by  the 
unrestrained  discourse  of  their  Indian  relations,  and  very  carh 


:i 


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OF    THE    POr.AR    SEA. 


77 


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ffive  up  all  pretensions  to  chastity.  It  is,  however,  but  justice  to 
remark,  tiiat  there  is  a  very  (tecided  dillbreice  in  the  conrluct  of 
the  children  of  the  Orkney  men  employed  by  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  anil  those  of  the  Canailian  voyaajcrs.  Some 
trouble  is  occasionally  bestowed  in  teacinng  the  former,  and  it 
is  not  thrown  away  ;  but  all  the  good  that  can  be  said  of  the 
latter  is,  that  they  are  not  quite  so  licentious  as  their  fathers  are. 

Many  of  the  half-breeds,  both  mule  and  female,  are  brought 
up  amongst,  and  intermarry  with,  the  Indians;  and  there  are  few 
tents  wherein  the  paler  children  of  such  marriages  are  not  to  be 
seen.  It  has  been  remarked,  I  do  not  know  with  what  truth, 
that  half-breeds  shew  more  j)ersonal  courage  than  the  pure  Crees. 

A  singular  change  takes  place  in  the  physical  constitution  of 
the  Indian  females  who  become  inmates  of  a  fort ;  namely,  they 
bear  children  more  frequently  and  longer,  but,  at  the  same  time, 
are  rendered  liable  to  indurations  of  the  mammae  and  prolapsus 
of  the  uterus ;  evils  from  which  they  are  in  a  great  measure, 
exempt  whilst  they  lead  a  wandering  and  labourious  life. 

The  girls  at  the  fort  particularly  the  daughters  of  Canadians, 
are  given  in  marriage  very  young ;  they  are  frequently  wives  at 
twelve  years  of  age,  and  mothers  at  fourteen.  Nay,  more  than 
one  instance  came  under  our  observation,  of  the  master  of  a 
post  having  permitted  a  voyager  to  take  to  wife  a  poor  child 
that  had  scarcely  attained  the  age  of  ten  years.  The  masters 
and  wintering  partners  of  the  Companies  deemed  this  criminal 
indulgence  to  the  vices  of  their  servants,  necessary  to  stimulate 
them  to  exertion  for  the  interest  of  their  respective  concerns. 
Another  practice  may  also  be  noticed,  as  shewing  the  state  of 
moral  feeling  on  these  subjects  amongst  the  resident  of  the  fur 
countries.  It  was  not  very  uncommon,  amongst  the  Canadian 
voyagers,  for  one  woman  to  be  common  to,  and  maintained  at  the 
joint  expense  of,  two  men ;  nor  for  a  voyager  to  sell  his  wife, 
either  for  a  season,  or  altogether,  for  a  sum  of  money,  propor- 
tioned to  her  beauty  and  good  qualities,  but  always  inferior  to  the 
price  of  a  team  of  dogs. 

The  country  around  Cumberland  House  is  flat  and  swampy,  and 
is  much  intersected  by  small  lakes.     A    very  new  magnesian 


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A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


lime-stoiie  is  found  every  where  under  a  thin  stratum  of  soil, 
and  it  not  unfrequently  shows  itself  above  the  surface.  It  lies  in 
strata  generally  horizontal,  hut  in  one  spot  near  the  fort,  dipping 
to  the  northward  at  an  angle  of  40°.  Some  portions  of  this  rock 
contain  very  perfect  shells.  With  respect  to  the  vegetable  pro- 
ductions of  the  district,  the  populus  irepida,  or  aspen,  which 
thrives  in  moist  situations,  is,  perhaps,  the  most  abundant  tree 
on  the  banks  of  the  Saskatchawan,  and  is  much  prized  as  fire- 
wood, burning  well  when  cut  green.  The  popxdus  halsamifera, 
called  by  the  Crees  matheh  melooft,  or  ugly  popular,  in  allusion 
to  its  rough  bark  and  naked  stem,  crowned,  in  an  aged  state, 
with  a  few  distorted  branches,  is  scarcely  less  plentiful.  It  is  an 
inferior  fire-wood,  and  does  not  burn  well,  unless  when  cut  in 
the  spring,  and  dried  during  the  summer ;  but  it  affords  a  great 
quantity  of  potash.  A  decoction  of  its  resinous  buds  has  been 
sometimes  used  by  the  Indians  with  success  in  cases  of  snow- 
blindness,  but  its  application  to  the  inflamed  eye  produces  much 
pain.  Of  pines  the  white  spruce  is  the  most  common  here  ;  the 
red  and  black  spruce,  the  balsam  of  Gilead  fir,  and  Jersey  pine, 
also  occur  frequently.  The  larch  is  found  only  in  swampy  spots, 
and  is  stunted  and  unhealthy.  The  canoe  birch  attains  a  consi- 
derable size  in  this  latitude,  but  from  the  great  demand  for  its 
wood  to  make  sledges,  it  has  become  rare.  The  alder  abounds 
on  the  margin  of  the  little  grassy  lakes,  so  common  in  i  '  neigh- 
bourhood. A  decoction  of  its  inner  bark  is  used  as  an  emetic  by 
the  Indians,  who  also  extract  from  it  a  yellow  dye.  A  great 
variety  of  willows  occur  on  the  banks  of  the  streams ;  and  the 
hazel  is  met  with  sparingly  in  the  woods.  The  sugar  maple,  elm, 
ash,  and  the  arbor  vitve,  termed  by  the  Canadian  voyagers  cedar, 
grow  on  various  parts  of  the  Saskatchawan  ;  but  that  river  seems 
to  form  their  northern  boundary.  Two  kinds  of  prunus  also  grow 
here,  one  of  which,  a  handsome  small  tree,  produces  a  black  fruit, 
having  a  very  astringent  taste,  whence  the  term  choke-cherry  ap- 
plied to  it.  The  Crees  call  it  tawquoy-meena,  and  esteem  it  to 
be,  when  dried  and  bruised,  a  good  addition  to  nemmican.  The 
other  species  is  a  less  elegant  shrub,  but  is  said  to  bear  a  bright 
red  cherry,  of  a  pleasant  sweet  taste.     Its  Cree  name  is  passee.- 


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Mwer/'ineenan,  and  it  is  known  to  occur  as  far  north  as  Great 
Slave  Lake. 

The  most  esteemed  fruit  of  the  country,  however,  is  the  produce 
o(  the  aronia  ovalis.  Under  the  name  o(  tnecsasscootoomeenn  it 
is  a  favourite  dish  at  most  of  the  Indian  feasts,  and  mixed  with 
pemmican,  it  renders  that  greasy  food  actually  palatable.  A  great 
variety  of  currants  and  gooseberries  are  also  mentioned  by  the  na- 
tives, under  the  name  of  sappoom-mcena,  but  we  only  found  three 
species  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Cumberland  House.  The  straw- 
berry, called  by  the  Crecs  otei-meena,  or  heart-berry ,  is  found  in 
abundance,  and  rasps  are  common  on  the  sandy  banks  of  the  rivers. 
The  fruits  hitherto  mentioned  fall  in  the  autumn,  but  the  follow- 
ing berries  remained  hanging  on  the  bushes  in  the  spring,  and  are 
considered  as  much  mellowed  by  exposure  to  the  colds  of  winter. 
Tiie  red  whortleberry  {arbutus  vills  idea)  is  found  every  where, 
but  is  most  abundant  in  rocky  places.  It  is  aptly  termed  by  the 
Crees  weesawgum-ineena,,  sour-berry.  The  common  cranberry 
(oxycoccos  pahistris,)  is  distinguished  from  the  preceding  by  its 
growing  on  moist  sphagnous  spots,  and  is  hence  called  maskaego- 
nit  na,  swamp-berry.  The  American  guelder  rose,  whose  fruits 
so  strongly  resembles  the  cranberry,  is  also  common.  There  are 
two  kinds  of  it,  [vibur/iuni  oxycoccos,  and  edule,)  one  termed  by 
i\\em\!i\^s  pi  ppoon-mecna,  winter-berry,  and  the  other  mow^,soa- 
meena,  moose-berry.  here  is  a.'>o  a  berry  of  a  bluish  white 
colour,  the  produce  of  iiie  white  cornel  tree,  which  is  named 
musquu-mcena,  bear-berry,  because  these  animals  are  said  to  fat- 
ten on  it.  The  dwarf  Canadian  cornel,  bears  a  corymb  of  red 
berries,  which  are  high  v  ornamental  to  the  woods  throughout  the 
country^  but  are  not  otherwise  worthy  of  noticf  .  for  they  have  an 
insipid  farinaceous  taste,  and  are  seldom  gathered.  The  Crees 
extract  some  beautiful  colours  from  several  of  their  native  vegeta- 
bles. They  die  their  porcupine  quills  a  beautiful  scarlet;  with  the 
roots  of  two  species  of  bed-straw,  (galium  tinctorium,  and  boreale) 
which  the}  inuiscjriminately  term  sawoyan.  The  roots,  after 
being  carefu:]y  wnshed,  are  boiled  gently  in  a  clean  copper  kettle, 
and  a  quantity  of  the  juice  of  the  moose  berry,  strawberry,  cian- 
lierry,  or  arctic  rasjjbcrry,  is  added,  together  with  a  few  red  tufts 


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of  pistils  of  the  larch.  The  porcupine  quills  are  plunged  into  the 
liquor  heforc  it  hecomes  quite  cold,  and  are  soon  tins;ed  of  a  beau 
tiful  scarlet.  The  process  sometimes  fails,  and  produces  only  a 
dirty  brown,  a  circumstance  which  ought  probably  to  be  ascribed 
to  the  use  of  an  undue  quantity  of  acid.  They  dye  black  with 
an  ink  made  of  elder  bark,  and  a  little  bog-iron-ore  dried  and 
pounded,  and  they  have  various  modes  of  producing  yellow. 
The  deepest  colour  is  obtained  from  the  dried  root  of  a  plant, 
which  from  their  description  appears  to  be  the  cow-bane  {cicuta 
virosa.)  An  inferior  colour  is  obtained  from  the  bruised  buds  of 
the  Dutch  myrtle,  and  they  have  discovered  methods  of  dyeing 
with  various  lichens. 

The  quadrupeds  that  are  hunted  for  food  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  are  the  moose  and  the  rein-deer,  the  former  termed  by 
the  Crecs  mongsoa  or  mousoa,  the  latter  attekli.  The  bufialo 
or  bison,  {moostonsh,)  the  red-deer  or  American-stag,  {toatvas- 
keeshoo,)  and  the  apiatatchcckons,  a  species  of  antelope,  animals 
that  frequent  the  plains  above  the  forks  of  the  Saskatchawan,  are 
not  found  in  the  nciuihhourhood  of  Cumberland  House. 

Of  fur-bearing  animals,  various  kinds  of  foxes  {makkeeshetvuc,) 
are  found  in  the  district,  distinguished  by  the  traders  under  the 
name  of  black,  silver,  cross,  red,  and  blue  foxes.  The  two  former 
are  considered  by  the  Indians  to  be  the  same  kind,  varying  acci- 
dentally in  the  colour  of  the  pelt.  The  black  foxes  are  very  rare, 
and  fetch  a  high  price.  The  cross  and  red  foxes  differ  from  each 
other  only  in  colour,  being  of  the  same  shape  and  size.  Their 
shades  of  colour  are  not  disposed  in  any  determinate  manner,  some 
individuals  approaching  in  that  respect  very  nearly  to  the  silver 
fox,  others  exhibiting  every  link  of  the  chain  down  to  a  nearly 
uniform  deep  or  orange-yellow,  the  distinguishing  colour  of  a  pure 
red  fox.  It  is  reported  both  by  Indians  and  traders,  that  all  the 
varieties  have  been  found  in  the  same  litter.  The  blue  fox  is  sel- 
dom seen  here,  and  is  supposed  to  come  from  the  southward. 
The  gray  wolf  {mahaygan,)  is  common  here.  In  the  nionth  of 
March  the  females  frequently  entice  the  domestic  dog  from  the 
forts,  altiiongh  at  other  seasons  a  strong  antipathy  seemed  to  sub 
sist  between  them.     Some  black  wolves  are  occasionally  seen 


I-  •  ^' 


or  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


SI 


The  black  and  red  varieties  of  the  American  bear  (nuisqtuih)  arc 
also  found  near  Cumberland  Mouse,  thouj^h  not  frequently;  a 
black  bear  often  has  rcil  cibs,  and  vice  versa.  The  sjrizzly  bear, 
so  much  dreaded  by  the  Indians  for  its  strength  and  ferocity,  in- 
habits a  tract  of  country  near  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  is  extra- 
ordinary, that  although  1  made  in(|uirics  extensively  amongst  the 
Indians,  I  met  with  but  one  who  said  that  he  had  killed  a  she-bear 
with  young  in  the  womb.  * 

The  wolverene,  in  cree  okeckooluiwi^ccs,  or  omtncet/uitsees,  is 
an  animal  of  great  strength  and  cunning,  and  is  much  hated  by 
the  hunters,  on  account  of  the  mischief  it  does  to  their  martin- 
ttaps.  Tiie  Canadian  lynx  (jjceshew)  is  a  timid  but  well-armed 
animal,  which  preys  upon  the  American  hare.  Its  fur  is  esteem- 
ed. T>he  maiten  {^vapeestan,)  is  one  of  the  most  common  furred 
animals  in  the  country.  The  fisher,  notwithstanding  its  name,  is 
an  inhabitant  of  the  land,  living  like  the  common  martin  princi- 
pally on  mice.  It  is  the  otchiek  of  the  Crees,  and  the  pekan  of 
the  Canadians.  The  mink,  {atjackash,)  has  been  often  confounded 
bv  writers  with  the  fisher.  It  is  a  much  smaller  animal,  inhabits 
the  banks  of  rivers,  and  swims  well  ;  its  prey  is  fish.  The  otter, 
ineekeek,)  is  larger  than  the  English  species,  and  produces  a  much 
more  valuable  fur. 

The  musk  rat  {watstiss  or  musquash,)  is  very  abundant  in  all 
the  small  grassy  lakes.  They  build  small  conical  houses  with  a 
mixture  of  hay  and  earth  ;  those  which  build  early  raising  their 
houses  on  tlie  mud  of  the  marshes,  and  those  which  build  later 
ill  the  season  founding  their  habitations  upon  the  surface  of  the 
ice  itself.  The  house  covers  a  hole  in  the  ice,  which  permits 
them  to  go  into  the  water  in  search  of  the  roots  on  which  they 
feed.  In  severe  winters  when  the  small  lakes  are  frozen  to  the 
bottom,  and  these  animals  cannot  procure  their  usual  food,  they 
prey  upon  each  other.     In  this  way  great  numbers  are  destroyed. 

The  beaver  {ammisk)  furnishes  the  staple  fur  of  the  country. 
Many  surprising  stories  have  been  told  of  the  sagacity  with  which, 
this  animal  suits  the  form  of  its  habitation,  retreats,  and  dam, 
to  local  circumstances;  and  I  compared  the  account  of  its  man- 
ners given  by  (>uvicr,  in  his  Htsj^ne  minimal,  with  the  reports  of 

L 


82 


A    JUUKM,'^     lO  Till::   SIlOULii 


Ill  -M  .11  ■■ 

I!)  ,■;    v(3' 


i;> 


♦he  Iiiilians,  onil  foiiiitl  thcni  to  aj!;ree  exactly.  They  have  been 
oltcMi  seen  ill  the  yd  of  coiistructinu;  their  houses  in  the  moon- 
li<>;ht  niti;hts,  ami  the  ohscrvers  agree,  that  the  stones,  wood,  or 
other  malerials,  are  carried  in  their  teeth,  and  generally  leaning 
airainst  the  shoulder.  When  they  have  placed  it  to  their  mind, 
they  turn  round  and  give  it  a  smart  blow  with  their  flat  tail.  In 
the  act  of  diving  they  give  a  similai'  stroke  to  the  surface  of  the 
water.  They  keep  their  provision  of  wood  under  water  in  front 
of  the  house.  Their  favourite  food  is  the  bark  of  the  aspen,  birch, 
and  willow  :  lliey  also  oat  the  alder,  hut  seldom  touch  any  of  the 
pine  tribe  nides.s  from  necessity ;  they  are  fond  of  the  large 
roots  of  the  nii])h(n'  hitntm,  and  grow  fat  upon  it,  but  it  gives; 
iheir  flesh  a  strong  rancid  taste.  In  the  season  of  love  their  call 
resembles  a  groan,  that  of  t!ie  male  being  the  hoarsest,  but  the 
voice  of  the  young  is  exactly  like  the  cry  of  a  child.  They  are 
very  playful,  as  the  following  anecdote  will  shew  : — One  day  a 
gentlenian,  long  resident  in  this  country,  espied  five  young  beavers 
sporting  in  the  water,  lea|>ing  upon  the  trunk  of  a  tree  pushing 
one  anolher  ofl",  and  playing  a  thousand  interesting  tricks.  He 
approached  softly  under  cover  of  the  bushes,  and  prepared  to  fire 
on  the  unsuspecting  creatures,  but  a  nearer  approach  discovered 
to  him  such  a  similitude  betv,'ixt  their  gestures  and  the  infantile 
caresses  of  his  own  children,  that  he  threw  aside  his  gun.  This 
gentleman's  feelings  are  to  be  envied,  but  few  traders  in  fur 
wouKl  have  acted  so  feelingly.  The  musk  rat  frequently  inha- 
bits the  same  lodge  with  the  beaver,  and  the  otter  also  thrusts 
himself  in  occasionally  :  the  latter,  however,  is  not  always  a  civil 
guest,  as  he  sonielimes  devoui'S  his  host. 

These  are  the  animals  most  interesting  in  an  economical  point 
of  view.  The  Ameiican  hare,  and  several  kinds  of  grouse  and 
ptarmigan,  also  contribute  towards  the  support  of  the  natives;  and 
tlic  geese,  in  their  periodical  flights  in  the  spr.ng  and  autumn, 
likewise  prove  a  valuable  icsource  both  to  the  Indians  and  white 
residents;  but  the  princip.il  article  ot'  food,  after  the  moose-deer, 
is  iish  :  iiulecd  it  ft)rms  almost  the  sole  support  of  the  traders  at 
some  of  the  posts.  The  most  esteemed  fish  is  a  species  of  salmo, 
the  attilihawuivg  of  ti)u  Cree:j,  and  the  wliUc-Jl'ih  of  the  Ame 


OF  Tin:  I'OI.AR   SKA, 


;  leans.  Its  usual  weight  is  between  three  and  four  pounds,  hut  it  has 
been  known  to  reach  sixteen  or  eighteen  pounds.  Thiec  lish  of  the 
ordinary  size  is  the  daily  allowance  to  each  man  at  th(!  fort,  and 
is  considered  as  equivalent  to  two  geoso,  or  eight  pounds  of  solid 
moose-meat.  The  fishery  for  the  attihliawmcg  lasts  the  wholf 
year,  but  is  most  productive  in  the  spawning  season,  from  the 
middle  of  September  to  the  middle  of  October.  The  ollonucehccs, 
another  species  of  salmo,  closely  resembles  the  last.  Three  spe 
cles  of  carp  are  also  found  abundantly  in  all  the  lakes,  their  Crer; 
names  are  namay-peetk,  "inecthquawniuypeeth,  and  uapawhaw- 
keeshew.  The  occow,  or  river  perch,  termed  also  horn-fish,  pic- 
carel,  or  dore,  is  common,  but  is  not  so  much  esteemed  as  the  attih- 
bavvmeg.  It  attains  the  length  of  twenty  inches  in  these  lakes.  The 
methy  is  another  common  fish  ;  it  is  the  gadus  Iota,  or  burbot  of 
Europe.  Its  length  is  about  two  feet,  its  gullet  is  capacious,  and 
it  preys  upon  fish  large  enough  to  distend  its  body  to  nearly  twice 
its  proper  size.  It  is  never  eaten,  not  even  by  the  dogs  unless 
through  necessity,  but  its  liver  and  roe  are  considered  as  delica- 
cies. 

The  pike  is  also  plentiful,  and  being  readily  caught  in  the  win- 
ter time  with  the  hook,  is  so  much  prized  on  that  account  b}^  the 
natives,  as  to  receive  from  them  the  name  of  eithinyoo-cannoo- 
shsooo,  or  Indian  fish.  The  common  trout,  oi-  nftmmincou.s,  grows 
here  to  an  enormous  size,  being  caught  in  particular  lakes,  weigh- 
ing upwards  of  sixty  pounds ;  thirty  pounds  is  no  uncommon  size 
at  Beaver  Lake,  from  whence  Cumberland  House  is  supplied. 
The  oweepeetchcesecSf  or  gold-eye,  is  a  beautiful  small  fish,  of  the 
genus  esox,  and  resembling  the  gar-fish. 

One  of  the  largest  fish  is  the  mathemegh,  cift-fish,  or  harhue. 
It  belongs  to  the  genus  silurus.  It  is  rare,  but  is  iiighly  prized 
as  food. 

The  sturgeon  is  also  taken  in  the  Saskatchawan,  and  lakes  com- 
municating with  it^  and  furnishes  an  excellent,  but  rather  rich, 
article  of  food. 


S-1 


A  JOURNEY   TO  THE   SHORE*^ 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Leave  Cumberland  House — Mode  of  TravcHing'  in  Winter— Airival  atCarltOi. 
Ilonst — Visit  to  a  lUdfalo  Pound— lioitres — Deparliirc  fnun  Carlton  llous- 
— Isle  a  lu  Crosse — Arrival  at  Port  Cliipcywan. 


■  »■;* 


■  ;*■ 


I8'iu.  1  HIS  (liiy  wc  set  out  from  CumbcilaiKl  House  I'or 
Carlton  House  ;  but  previously  to  detailinor  the  events  of  the  jour- 
ney, it  may  be  projier  to  describe  the  necessary  equipments  of  a 
winter  traveller  in  this  rej^ion,  which  I  cannot  do  better  than  by 
extracting  the  following  brief,  but  accurate,  account  of  it  from 
JVIr.  Hood's  journal : — 

"A  snow-shoe' is  made  of  two  light  bars  of  wood,  fastened  to- 
gether at  their  exlremities,  and  projected  into  curves  by  trans- 
verse bars.  The  side  bars  have  been  so  shaped  by  a  frame,  and 
dried  before  a  fire,  that  the  front  part  of  the  shoe  turns  up,  like 
the  prow  of  a  boat,  and  the  part  behind  terminates  in  an  acute 
angle;  the  spaces  between  the  bars  are  filled  up  with  a  fine  net- 
ting of  leathern  thongs,  except  that  part  behind  the  main  bar, 
which  is  occupjjieil  by  the  feet;  the  netting  is  there  close  and 
strong,  and  the  loot  is  atti^ched  to  the  main  bar  by  straps  passing 
round  the  heel,  hut  only  fixing  the  toes,  so  that  the  heel  rises  after 
each  step,  and  the  tail  of  the  shoe  is  dragged  on  the  snow.  Be- 
tween the  main  bar  and  another  in  front  of  it,  a  small  space  is  left, 
permitting  the  toes  to  descend  a  little  in  the  act  of  raising  the  heel 
to  make  the  step  forward,  which  prevents  their  extremities  from 
chafing.  The  length  of  a  snow-shoe  is  from  four  to  six  feet,  and 
the  breadth  one  foot  and  a  half,  or  one  foot  and  three  quarters, 
being  adapted  to  the  size  of  the  wearer.  The  motion  of  walk- 
ing in  them  is  perfectly  natural,  for  one  shoe  is  level  with  the 
snow,  when  the  edge  of  the  other  is  passing  over  it.  It  is  not 
easy  to  use  tlicm  among  bushes,  without  frequent  overthrows,  nor 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


85 


tc 

^HUi' 

it- 

>r, 

nd 

ig 

i 

er 

e- 

rt, 

' 

el 

; 

m 

f 

id 

s, 

IC 

3t 

to  ribC  afterwards  without  lid  p.  Kacli  shoe  weij^hs  ahout  two 
poiiiifls  when  nnclonjijcd  with  snow.  The  northern  Inlian  snow 
shoes  ihHi'r  a  Mtlle  from  Ihosi;  of  the  southern  In(Hans,  havini;  a 
greater  ourvaUiro  on  tlie  oulsitle  of  each  shoe;  one  advantae;e  of 
uhich  is.  that  when  the  foot  rises  the  over-bahinood  side  descends 
and  throws  off  tiie  snow.  All  the  superiority  of  European  art 
has  heen  unuhlc  to  improve  the  native  contrivance  of  this  useful 
machine. 

'*  Sledffcs  are  made  of  two  or  three  flat  hoards,  curvinsi  upwards 
in  front,  and  fastened  toj^cther  hy  transverse  pieces  of  wood  ahove. 
They  are  so  thin  that,  if  heavily  laden,  they  hend  with  the  ine- 
qualities of  the  surface  over  which  they  pass.  The  ordinary  dog- 
sletlgos  are  eight  or  ten  feet  long,  and  very  narrow,  hut  the  lading 
is  secured  to  a  lacing  round  the  edges.  The  cariole  used  hy  the 
traders  is  merely  a  covering  of  leather  for  the  lower  part  of  the 
body,  aflixed  to  the  common  sledge,  which  is  painted  and  orna- 
mented according  to  the  taste  of  the  proprietor.  Besides  snow 
shoes,  each  individual  carries  his  blanket,  hatchet,  steel,  flint,  and 
tinder,  and  generally  fire-arms." 

The  general  dress  of  the  winter  traveller  is  a  capot,  having  a 
hood  to  put  up  under  the  fur  cap  in  windy  weather,  or  in  the 
woods,  to  keep  the  snow  from  his  neck ;  leathern  trowseis  and 
Indian  stockings,  which  are  closed  at  the  ankles,  round  the  upper 
part  of  his  mocassins,  or  Indian  shoes,  to  prevent  the  snow  from 
getting  into  them.  Over  these  he  wears  a  blanket,  or  leathern 
coat,  which  is  secured  by  a  belt  round  his  waist,  to  which  his  fire- 
bag,  knife,  and  hatchet  are  suspended. 

Mr.  Beck  and  I  were  accompanied  hy  the  seaman,  John  Hep- 
burn:  we  were  provided  with  two  carioles  and  two  sledges;  and 
their  drivers  and  dogs  were  furnished  in  equal  proportions  by  the 
two  Companies.  Fifteen  clays'  provision  so  completely  filled  the 
sledges,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  we  found  room  for  a  small  sex- 
tant, one  suit  of  clothes,  and  three  changes  of  linen,  together  with 
our  bedding.  Notwithstanding  wo  thus  restricted  ourselves,  and 
even  loaded  the  carioles  with  part  of  the  lu^^age,  instead  of  em- 
barking in  them  ourselves,  we  did  not  set  out  without  consider- 
able grumbling  fioin  the  voyagers  of  both  Companies,  respecting 


il 


K  * ' 


t6 


A   JOURNF.y    To   Vlin   SIIOKI,.^ 


1  *' 


« 


V 
It  ' ' 


the  ovorlailinjcj  of  their  «lo2;s.  llowovcr,  wv  Icfl  ilic  iniiitcr  (u  Ix* 
settled  by  our  friCnds  at  the  fort,  wlu)  were  more  coiiversaiil  with 
winter  travelling  than  ourselves.  IikJcciI,  the  loads  appeaud  lo 
us  so  a;reat  that  we  should  have  heen  inclined  to  lislcMi  to  (lie 
complaints  of  the  drivers.  The  weight  usually  plaecil  upon  a 
sleili^c,  drawn  by  throe  dojcs,  cannot,  at  the  conimen(«;nient  of  a 
journey,  be  estimattid  at  less  than  three  hundred  jioimds,  whieh, 
however,  sutlers  a  daily  diminution  from  the  consumption  of  pro- 
visions. The  sledcic  itself  weia;hs  about  thirty  pounds.  When 
the  snow  is  hard  iVozen,  or  the  track  well  trodden,  the  rale  of 
travelling;  is  about  two  miles  and  a  half  an  hour  ineludinjo;  rests, 
or  about  tifteen  miles  a  <lay.  If  the  snow  is  loose,  the  speed  is 
necessarily  much  less  a>id  the  fatii^ue  jijreater. 

At  eij^^ht  in  the  morninj;  of  the  ISth,  we  quitted  the  fort,  and 
took  leave  of  our  hospitable  friend,  (iovernor  Williams,  whose 
l;indncss  and  attention  I  shall  ever  remember  with  gratitude. 
T)r.  Richardson,  Mr  Hood,  and  Mr.  Connolly,  accompanied  us 
along  the  Saskatchawan,  until  the  snow  became  too  deep  for  their 
walking  without  snow-slmcs.  We  then  parted  from  our  associ- 
ates, with  sincere  regret  ;i)  ihe  inospeci.  oC  :i  long  separation. 
Being  accompanied  by  Mr.  Miiciwuzie,  of  the  Hudson's  IJay 
Company,  who  was  going  to  Isle  a  la  Crosse,  with  foin*  sledges 
under  his  charge,  we  formed  cpiile  a  procession,  deeping  in  an 
Indian  file,  in  the  track  of  the  man  who  preceded  the  foremost 
dogs;  but,  as  the  snow  was  deep,  we  proceeded  slowly  on  the 
surface  of  the  river,  which  is  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
wi'le,  for  the  distance  of  six  miles,  which  we  went  to-day.  Its 
alluvial  banks  and  islands  are  clothed  with  willows.  At  the  place 
of  our  encampment  we  could  scarcely  find  suthcicnt  pine  branches 
,to  door  ''  tiie  hut,"  as  the  Orkney  men  term  the  place  where 
travellers  rest.  Its  preparation,  however,  consists  only  in  clear- 
ing away  the  snow  to  the  ground,  and  covering  that  sjiaee  with 
pine  brances,  over  which  the  party  spread  their  blankets  and 
coats,  and  sleep  in  warmth  and  comtort,  by  keeping  a  good  fire 
at  their  feet,  without  any  other  canopy  than  the  heaven,  even 
though  the  thermometer  should  be  far  below  zero. 

The  arrival  at  the  place  of  encampment  gives  immediate  occu 


i^r  ■' 


wi-    riir:  I'oi.An  sla. 


8t 


>^, 


uat  11)11  to  rvc'i)  uiio  of  the  party  ;  and  it  is  nul  iiiilil  llie  sleeping^ 
j)lacc  Ikis  ln'cn  aininj^cd,  an  da  sulTiciency  of  wood  collected  as  fuel 
for  tlie  ni^l»t,  that  the  fiie  is  allowed  to  he  kindled.  The  dogs 
alone  remain  inactive  ihiring  this  busy  scene,  beinj;  kept  harness- 
ed to  their  burdens  until  the  men  have  leisure  to  unstow  the 
sledy;es,  and  ban;;  upon  tlu;  tiei's  every  species  of  provision  out 
of  the  reach  of  iIicm;  rapacious  animals.  We  had  ample  experi- 
ence, before  morning,  of  the  necessity  of  this  precaution,  as  they 
contrived  to  steal  a  considerable  part  of  our  stores,  almost  from 
underneath  Hepburn's  head,  notwithstanding  their  having  been 
well  fed  at  supper. 

This  evcnina;  we  found  the  mercury  of  our  thermometer  had 
sunk  into  the  bull),  and  was  frozen.  It  arose  again  into  the  tube 
on  being  held  to  the  fire,  but  quickly  re-descended  into  the  bulb 
on  being  removed  into  the  air ;  we  coidd  not,  therefore,  ascertain 
by  it  the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere,  either  then  or  during 
our  journey.     The  weather  was  i>crfectly  clear. 

January  19. — We  arose  this  morning  after  the  enjoyment  of  a 
sound  and  comfortable  repose,  and  recommenced  our  journey  at 
sun -rise,  but  made  slow  progress  through  the  deep  snow.  The 
task  of  beating  the  track  for  the  dogs  was  so  very  fatiguing,  that 
each  of  the  men  took  the  lead  in  turn,  for  an  hour  and  a  half. 
The  scenery  of  the  banks  of  the  river  improved  as  we  advanced 
to-day  ;  some  firs  and  popla.s  were  intermixed  with  the  willows. 
We  passed  through  two  creeks,  formed  by  islands,  and  encamped 
on  a  pleasant  spot  on  the  north  shore,  having  only  made  six  miles 
and  three  quarters  actual  distance. 

The  next  day  we  pursued  our  course  along  the  river;  the  dogs 
had  the  greatest  diflicnlty  in  dragging  their  heavy  burdens  through 
the  snow.  We  halted  to  refresh  them  at  the  foot  of  Sturgeon 
River,  and  obtained  the  latitude  53°  51'  41"  N.  This  is  a  small 
stream,  which  issues  from  a  neighbouring  lake.  We  encamped 
near  to  Mosquito  Point,  having  walked  about  nine  miles.  The 
termination  of  the  day's  journey  was  a  great  relief  to  me,  who 
had  been  sufiering  during  the  greater  part  of  it,  in  consequence 
of  my  feet  having  been  galled  by  the  snow-shoes;  this,  however, 
is  an  evil  which  few  escape  on  their  initiation  to  wintei' travelling. 


4^ 


o 


•» 


A  JOURNLy   TO  THE  SHORES 


i" 


^    . 


>!> 


h  '     if 


lu 


It  excites  no  pity  from  the  more  experienced  companions  of  tht 
journey,  who  travel  on  as  fa&t  as  they  can,  regardless  of  the  pain 
of  the  sufferer. 

Mr.  Isbesler.  and  an  Orkney  man,  joined  us  from  Cumberland 
House,  and  brou2;hl  some  pemmican  which  we  had  left  behind ; 
a  supply  which  w  as  seasonable  after  our  recent  loss.  The  j^cncral 
occupation  of  Mr.  Isl)ester  during  the  winter,  is  to  follow  or  find 
out  the  Indians,  and  colled  their  furs,  and  his  present  journey 
will  appear  adventurous  to  j)ersons  acrustometl  to  the  certainty  of 
travelling  on  a  well  known  ro;id.  He  is  going  in  search  of  a  band 
of  Indians,  of  whom  no  information  had  been  received  since  last 
October,  and  his  only  guide  for  finding  them  was  their  promise  to 
hunt  in  a  certain  quarter ;  but  he  looked  at  the  jaunt  with  indif- 
ference, and  calculated  on  meeting  them  in  six  or  seven  days,  for 
which  time  only  he  hail  provision.  Few  persons  in  this  country 
suffer  more  from  want  of  food  than  those  occasionally  do  who  are 
employed  on  this  service.  They  are  furnished  with  a  sufficiency 
of  provision  to  serve  until  ihoy  reach  the  pait  where  the  Indians 
are  expected  to  be  ;  but  it  frc(|uently  occurs  that,  on  their  arrival 
at  the  spot,  they  have  gone  elsewhere,  j«n(l  that  a  recent  fall  of 
snow  has  hidden  their  track,  in  which  case  the  voyagers  have  to 
wander  about  in  search  of  them  ;  and  it  often  happens,  when  they 
succeed  in  fiiuling  the  Indians,  that  they  are  unprovided  with  meat. 
Mr.  Isbester  had  been  placed  in  this  distressing  situation  only  a 
few  weeks  ago,  and  passetl  four  days  without  either  himself  or  his 
dogs  tnsting  food.  At  length,  when  he  had  determined  on  killing 
one  of  the  dogs  to  satisfy  his  hunger,  he  happily  met  with  a  beaten 
track,  which  led  him  to  some  Indian  lodges,  where  he  obtained  a 
supply  of  food. 

The  morning  of  the  31st  was  cold,  but  pleasant  for  travelling 
We  left  Mr.  Isbester  and  his  companion,  and  crossed  the  peninsula 
of  Musquito  Point,  to  avoid  a  detour  of  several  miles  which  the 
river  makes.  Though  we  put  up  at  an  early  hour,  we  gained 
eleven  miles  this  day.  Our  encampment  was  at  the  lower  extre- 
mity of  Tohin's  Falls.  The  snow  being  less  deep  on  the  rough 
ice  which  enclosed  this  rapid,  we  proceeded,  on  the  22d,  at  a 
(juicker  pace  than  usual,  though  at  the  expense  of  ""reat  suffering 


OF    TIIK    POLAR    SEA. 


89 


ig 


■■■f 


to  Mr.  Back,  myself,  and  Hepburn,  all  our  feet  being;  much  «t»iled. 
.\fter  passini;  Tobln's  Falls,  the  river  expands  to  the  breadth  of 
five  hundred  yards,  and  its  banks  are  well  wooiknl  with  pines, 
poplars,  birch,  and  willows.  Many  tracks  of  moose-deer  and 
wolves  were  observed  near  the  encampment. 

On  the  23d  the  sky  was  generally  overcast,  and  there  were 
several  snow  showers.  We  saw  two  wolves  and  some  foxes  cross 
the  river  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  passed  many  tracks  of  the 
moose  and  red  deer.  Soon  after  we  had  encamped  the  snow  fell 
heavily,  which  was  an  advantage  to  us  after  we  had  retired  to 
rest,  by  its  affording  an  additional  covering  to  our  blankets.  The 
next  morning,  whilst  at  breakfast,  two  men  arrived  from  Carlton 
on  their  way  to  Cumberland.  Having  the  benefit  of  their  track, 
we  were,  to  our  great  joy,  able  to  get  on  at  a  quick  pace  without 
snow-shoes.  My  only  regret  was,  that  the  party  proceeded  too 
fast  to  allow  Mr.  Black's  halting  occasionally,  to  note  the  bearings 
of  the  points,  and  delineate  the  course  of  the  river,*  without  being 
left  behind.  As  the  provisions  were  getting  short,  I  could  not, 
therefore,  with  propriety,  check  the  progress  by  interrupting  the 
party;  and,  indeed,  it  appeared  to  me  less  necessary,  as  I  under- 
stood the  river  had  been  carefully  surveyed.  In  the  afternoon, 
we  had  to  resume  the  incumbrance  of  the  snow-shoes,  and  to  pass 
over  a  rugged  part  where  the  ice  had  been  piled  over  a  collection 
of  stones.  The  tracks  of  animals  were  very  abundant  on  the 
river,  particularly  near  the  remains  of  an  old  establishment,  called 
the  Lower  Nippeween. 

So  much  snow  had  fallen  on  the  night  of  the  34th,  that  the  track 
we  intended  to  follow  was  completely  covered,  and  our  march  to- 
day was  very  fatiguing.  We  passed  the  remains  of  two  red-deer, 
lying  at  the  basis  of  perpendicular  cliffs,  from  the  summits  of 
which  they  had,  probably,  been  forced  by  the  wolves.  These 
voracious  animals,  who  are  inferior  in  speed  to  the  moose  and 
red-deer,  are  said  frequently  to  have  recourse  to  this  expedient  in 
places  where  extensive  plains  are  bounded  by  precipitous  cliffs. 


■"A 


*  This  was  afterwards-done  by  Dr.  Richardson  during  a  voyage  to  Carlton 
in  the  spring. 

M 


90 


A     rOURNFY    TO    THE    nHORtS 


'/*   *: 


-M 


111' 


Whilst  the  deer  are  quietly  grazing,  the  wolves  assemble  in  great 
numbers,  and,  forming  .1  crescent,  creep  slowly  towards  the  herd 
so  as  not  to  alarm  them  much  at  first,  but  when  they  perceive 
that  they  have  fairly  hemmed  in  the  unsuspecting  creatures,  and 
cut  off  their  retreat  across  the  plain,  they  move  more  quickly,  and 
with  hideous  yells  terrify  their  prey  and  urge  them  to  flight  by 
the  only  open  way,  which  is  that  towards  the  precipice ;  appearing 
to  know,  that  when  the  herd  is  once  at  full  speed,  it  is  easily 
driven  over  the  cliff,  the  rearmost  urging  on  those  that  are  be- 
fore. The  wolves  then  descend  at  their  leisure,  ami  feast  on  the 
mangled  carcasses.  One  of  these  ferocious  animals  passed  close 
to  the  person  who  was  beating  the  track,  but  did  not  olTer  any 
violence.  Wo  encamped  at  sunset,  after  walking  thirteen  miles. 

On  the  26lh,  we  were  rejoiced  at  passing  the  half-way  point, 
"between  Cimiberland  and  Carlton.  The  scenery  of  the  river  was 
less  agreeable  beyond  this  point,  as  thoro  was  a  scarcity  of  wood. 
One  of  our  men  was  tiespatched  after  a  red-deer  that  appeared  on 
the  bank.  He  contrived  to  approach  near  enough  to  fire  twice, 
though  without  success,  before  the  animal  moved  away.  After  a 
fatiguing  march  of  seventeen  miles,  we  put  up  at  the  upper  Nip- 
p6ween,  a  deserted  establishment ;  and  performed  the  comfort- 
able operations  of  shaving  and  washing  for  the  first  time  since  our 
departure  iVom  Cumberland,  the  weather  having  been  hitherto 
too  severe.  We  passed  an  uncomfortable  and  sleepless  night, 
and  agreed  next  morning  to  encamp  in  future,  in  the  open  air, 
as  preferable  to  the  imperfect  shelter  of  a  deserted  house  without 
doors  or  windows. 

The  morning  was  extremely  cold,  but  fortunately  the  wind  was 
light,  which  prevented  our  feeling  it  severely  ;  experience  indeed 
had  taught  us  that  the  sensation  of  cold  depends  less  upon  the  state 
of  temperature,  than  the  force  of  the  wind.  An  attempt  was  made 
to  obtain  the  latitude,  which  failed  in  consequence  of  the  screw, 
which  adjusts  the  telescope  of  the  sextant,  being  immoveably  fix- 
ed, from  the  moisture  upon  it  having  frozen.  The  instrument 
could  not  be  replaced  in  its  case  before  the  ice  was  thawed  by  the 
fire  in  the  evening. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  we  passed  the  confluence  of  the  south 


■  V    I    '•      >^   V 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


yi 


branch  of  the  Saskatchavvan,  which  rises  from  the  rocky  moun- 
tains near  the  sources  of  the  northern  hranch  of  the  Missouri.  At 
Coles  Falls  which  commence  a  short  distance  from  the  branch  we 
found  the  surface  of  the  ice  very  uneven,  and  many  spots  of  open 
water. 

We  passed  the  ruins  of  an  establishment,  which  the  traders  had 
been  compelled  to  abandon,  in  consequence  of  the  intractable 
conduct  and  ])ilfering  habits  of  the  Assineboine  Indians;  and  wc 
learnt  that  all  the  residents  at  a  post  on  the  south  branch,  had 
been  cut  off  by  the  same  tribe  some  years  aj^o.  We  travelled 
twelve  miles  to-day.  The  wolves  serenaded  us  tin  ou&;h  the  night 
with  a  chorus  of  their  agreeable  howling,  brt  none  of  them  ven- 
tured near  the  encampment.  Mr.  Back's  repose  was  disturbed 
by  a  more  serious  evil ;  his  butfalo  robe  caught  tire,  and  the  shoes 
on  his  feet,  being  contracted  by  the  heut,  gave  him  such  pain,  that 
he  jumped  up  in  the  cold,  and  ran  into  the  snow  as  the  only 
means  of  obtaining  relief.  . 

On  the  28th  we  had  a  strong  and  piercing  wind  from  N.W.  in 
our  faces,  and  much  snow-drift,  we  were  compelled  to  walk  as 
quick  as  we  could,  and  to  keep  constantly  rubbing  the  exposed 
parts  of  the  skin,  to  prevent  their  being  frozen,  but  some  of  the 
party  suffered  in  spite  of  every  precaution.  We  descried  three 
red-deer  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  were  about  to  send  the 
best  marksmen  after  them,  when  they  espied  the  party  and  ran 
away.  A  supply  of  meat  would  have  been  very  seasonable,  as  the 
men's  provision  became  scanty,  and  the  dogs  were  without  food, 
except  a  little  burnt  leather.  Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  wood,  we 
had  to  walk  until  a  late  hour,  before  a  good  spot  for  an  encamp- 
ment  could  be  found,  and  had  then  come  only  eleven  miles.  The 
night  was  miserably  cold  ;  our  tea  froze  in  the  tin  pots  before  we 
could  drink  it,  and  even  a  mixture  of  spirits  and  water  became 
quite  thick  by  congelation ;  yet,  after  we  lay  down  to  rest,  we 
felt  no  inconvenience,  and  heeded  not  the  wolves,  though  they 
were  howling  within  view. 

The  29th  was  also  very  cold,  until  the  sun  burst  forth,  when  the 
travelling  became  pleasant.  The  banks  of  the  river  arc  very  scan- 
tily supplied  with  wood  through  the  part  we  passed  to-day.     A 


\'M 


i)2 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


U'''- 


11: 


long  track  on  the  south  shore,  called  Holms  Plains,  is  destitute  of 
any  thing  like  a  tree,  and  the  opposite  bank  has  only  stunted 
willows;  but  after  walking  sixteen  miles,  we  came  to  a  spot  bet- 
ter wooded,  and  encamped  opposite  to  a  remarkable  place,  called 
by  the  voyagers  "  The  Neck  of  Land." 

On  the  thirtieth  we  directed  our  course  round  The  Neck  of 
Land,  which  is  well  clothed  with  pines  and  firs;  though  the  oppo- 
site or  western  bank  is  nearly  destitute  of  wood.  This  contrast 
between  the  two  banks  continued  until  we  reached  the  commence- 
ment of  what  our  companions  called  the  barren  grounds,  when 
both  the  banks  were  alike  bare.  Vast  plains  extend  behind  the 
southern  bank,  which  afford  excellent  pasturage  for  the  buffalo,  or 
other  grazing  animals.  In  the  evening  we  saw  a  herd  of  the 
former,  but  could  not  get  near  to  them.  After  walking  fifteen 
miles  we  encamped.  The  men's  provision  having  been  entirely 
expended  last  night,  wc  shared  our  small  stock  with  them.  The 
poor  dogs  had  been  toiling  some  days  on  the  most  scanty  fare ; 
their  rapacity,  in  consequence,  was  unbounded ;  they  forced  open 
a  deal  box,  containing  tea,  &c.,  to  get  at  a  small  piece  of  meat 
which  had  been  incautiously  placed  in  it. 

As  soon  as  daylight  permitted,  the  party  commenced  their 
march,  in  the  expectation  of  reaching  Carlton  House  to  breakfast, 
but  we  did  not  arrive  until  noon,  although  the  track  was  good. 
We  were  received  by  Mr.  Prudens,  the  gentleman  in  charge  of 
the  post,  with  that  friendly  attention  which 'Governor  William's 
circular  was  calculated  to  ensure  at  every  station  ;  and  were  soon 
afterwards  regaled  with  a  substantial  dish  of  buffalo  steaks,  which 
would  have  been  thought  excellent  under  any  circumstances,  but 
were  particularly  relished  by  us,  though  eaten  without  either 
In'ead  or  vegetables,  after  our  travelling  fare  of  dried  meat  and 
pemmican.  After  this  repast,  we  had  the  comfort  of  changing  our 
travelling  dresses,  which  had  been  worn  for  fourteen  days.  This 
was  a  gratification  which  can  only  be  truly  estimated  by  those 
who  may  have  been  placed  under  similar  circumstances.  1  was 
still  in  too  great  pain  from  swellings  in  the  ankles  to  proceed  to 
La  Montee,  the  North-West  Company's  establishment,  distant 
about  three  miles;  but  Mr.  Hallet^  the  gentleman  in  charge, came 


'!$ 


ShI 


'I  n 


or    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


9fJ 


to 

it 


tiie  foUowing  morning,  and  I  presented  to  him  the  circular  from 
Mr.  S.  Mac  Gillivray.  He  had  already  been  furnished,  however, 
with  a  copy  of  it  from  Mr.  Connolly  and  was  quite  prepared  to 
contribute  any  assistance  that  we  might  require  to  forward  our 
advance  to  the  Athabasca. 

Mr.  Back  and  I  having  been  very  desirous  to  see  some  of  the 
Stone  Indians,  who  reside  on  the  plains  in  this  vicinity,  learned 
with  regret  that  a  large  band  of  them  had  left  the  house  on  the 
preceding  day ;  but  our  curiosity  was  amply  gratified  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  some  individuals,  on  the  following  and  every  subse- 
quent day  during  our  stay.     ■  I  i  ■    ,    *        •      J 

The  looks  of  these  people  would  have  prepossessed  me  in  their 
favour,  but  from  the  assurances  I  had  received  from  the  gentlemen 
of  the  posts,  of  their  gioss  and  habitual  treachery.  Their  coun- 
tenances are  affable  and  pleasing,  their  eyes  large  and  expressive, 
nose  aquiline,  teeth  white  and  regular,  the  forehead  bold,  the 
cheek-bones  rather  high.  Their  figure  is  usually  good,  above  the 
middle  size,  with  slender,  but  well  proportioned,  limbs.  Their 
colour  is  a  light  copper,  and  they  have  a  profusion  of  very  black 
hair,  which  hangs  over  the  ears,  and  shades  the  face.  Their  dress, 
which  I  think  extremely  neat  and  convenient,  consists  of  a  vest 
and  trowsers  of  leather  fitted  to  the  body ;  over  these  a  buffalo 
robe  is  tastefully  thrown.  These  dresses  are  in  general  cleaned 
with  whiie-miid,  a  sort  of  marl,  though  some  use  red-earth,  a  kind 
of  bog-iron-ore ;  but  this  colour  neither  looks  so  light,  nor  forms 
such  an  agreeable  contrast  as  the  white  with  the  black  hair  of  the 
robe.  Their  quiver  hangs  behind  them,  and  in  the  hand  is  carried 
the  bow,  with  an  arrow  always  ready  for  attack  or  defence,  and 
sometimes  they  have  a  gun  ;  they  also  carry  a  bag  containing  ma- 
terials for  making  a  fire,  some  tobacco,  the  calumet  or  pipe,  and 
wiiatever  valuables  they  may  possess.  This  bag  is  neatly  orna- 
mented with  porcupine  quills.  Thus  equipped,  the  Stone  Indian 
bears  himself  with  an  air  of  perfect  independence. 

The  only  articles  of  European  commerce  they  require  in  ex- 
change for  the  meat  they  furnish  to  the  trading  post,  are  tobacco, 
knives,  ammunition,  and  spirits,  and  occasionally  some  beads, 
Nut  more  frequently  buttons,  which  they  string  to  their  hair  as 


M 


I  "i 


^('1 


VM 


>i'  \k 


h  f 


* 

■:'f 

'■l. 

4 

■:■  jf 

1 

94 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


ii&?: 


ornaments.  A  successful  hunter  will  probably  have  two  or  three 
dozen  of  them  hanging  at  equal  distances  on  locks  of  hair,  from 
each  side  of  the  forehead.  At  the  end  of  these  small  coral  bells 
are  sometimes  attached,  which  tingle  at  every  motion  of  the 
head  ;  a  noise  which  seems  greatly  to  delight  the  wearer ;  some- 
times a  string  of  them  is  bound  round  the  head  like  a  tiara ;  and 
a  bunch  of  feathers  gracefully  crowns  the  head. 

The  Stone  Indians  steal  whatever  they  can,  particularly  horses; 
these  animals  they  maintain  are  common  property,  sent  by  the 
Almighty  for  the  general  use  of  man,  and  therefore  may  be  taken 
wherever  met  with ;  still  they  admit  of  the  right  of  the  owners  to 
watch  them,  and  to  prevent  theft  if  possible.     This  avowed  dis- 
position on  their  part  calls  forth  the  strictest  vigilance  at  the  dif- 
ferent posts ;  notwithstanding  which  the  most  daring  attacks  are 
often  successfully  made,  sometimes  on  parties  of  three  or  four, 
but  oftener  on  individuals.     About  ♦wo  years  ago  a  band  of  them 
had  the  audacfty  to  attempt  to  take  away  some  horses   which 
were  grazing  before  the  gate  of  the  N.W.  Company's  fort ;  and, 
after  braving  the  fire  from  the  few  people  then  at  the  establish- 
ment through  the  whole  day,  and  returning  their  shots  occasion- 
ally, they  actually  succeeded  in  'their  enterprize.     One  man  was 
killed  on  each  side.  They  usually  strip  defenceless  persons  whom 
they  meet  of  all  their  garments,  but  particularly  of  those  which 
have  buttons,  and  leave  them  to  travel  home  in  that  state,  how- 
ever severe  the  weather.     If  resistance  is  expected,  they  not  un- 
frequently  murder  before  they  attempt  to  rob.  The  traders,  when 
they  travel,  invariably  keep  some  men  on  guard  to  prevent  sur- 
prise, whilst  the  others  sleep  ;  and  often  practise  the  stratagem  of 
lighting  a  fire  at  sunset^  which  they  leave  burning,  and  move  on 
after  dark  to  a  more  distant  encampment — yet  these  precautions 
do  not  always  bafile  the  depredators.     Such  is  the  description  of 
men  whom  the  traders  of  this  river  have  constantly   to  guard 
against.  It  must  require  a  long  residence  among  them,  and  much 
experience  of  their  manners,  to  overcome  the  painful  apprehen- 
sions their  hostility  and  threats  are  calculated  to  excite.  Through 
fear  of  having  their  provision  and  supplies  entirely  cut  off,  the 
traders  are  often  obliged  to  overlook  the  grossest  offences,  even 


J 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


95 


igh 


■■;*( 

.0 


murder,  though  the  delinquents  present  themselves  with  unblush- 
ing effrontery  almost  immediately  after  the  fact,  and  perhaps 
boast  of  having  committed  it.  They  do  not  on  detection  consi- 
der themselves  under  any  obligation  to  deliver  up  what  they  have 
stolen  without  receiving  an  equivalent. 

The  Stone  Indians  keep  in  amity  with  their  neighbours  the 
Crees  from  motives  of  interest ;  and  the  two  tribes  unite  in  de- 
termined hostility  against  the  nations  dwelling  to  the  westward, 
which  are  generally  called  Slave  Indians — ^a  term  of  reproach 
applied  by  the  Crees  to  those  tribes  against  whom  they  have 
waged  successful  wars.  The  Slave  Indians  are  said  greatly  to 
resemble  the  Stone  Indians,  being  equally  desperate  and  daring 
in  their  acts  of  aggression  and  dishonesty  towards  the  traders. 

These  parties  go  to  war  almost  every  summer,  and  sometimes 
muster  three  or  four  hundred  horsemen  on  each  side.  Their 
leaders  in  approaching  the  foe,  exercise  all  the  caution  of  the 
most  skilful  generals ;  and  whenever  either  party  considers  that 
it  ha^  gained  the  best  ground,  or  finds  it  can  surprise  the  other, 
the  attack  is  made.  They  advance  at  once  to  close  quarters,  and 
the  slaughter  is  consequently  great,  though  the  battle  may  be 
short.  The  prisoners  of  either  sex  are  seldom  spared,  but  slain 
on  the  spot  with  wanton  cruelty.  The  dead  are  scalped,  and  he 
is  considered  the  bravest  person  who  bears  the  greatest  number 
of  scalps  from  the  field.  These  are  afterwards  attached  to  his  war 
dress,  and  worn  as  proofs  of  his  prowess.  The  victorious  party, 
during  a  certain  time,  blacken  their  faces  and  every  part  of  their 
dress  in  token  of  joy,  and  in  that  state  they  often  come  to  the 
establishments,  if  near  to  testify  their  delight  by  dancing  and 
singing,  bearing  all  the  horrid  insignia  of  war,  to  display  their 
individual  feats.  When  in  mourning  they  completely  cover  their 
dress  and  hair  with  white  mud. 

The  Crees  in  the  vicinity  of  Carlton  House  have  the  same  cast 
of  countenance  as  those  about  Cumberland,  but  are  much  superior 
to  them  in  appearance,  which  is  to  be  attributed  to  their  living  in. 
a  more  abundant  country.  These  men  are  more  docile,  tractable, 
and  industrious,  than  the  Stone  Indians,  and  bring  greater  sup- 
plies of  provision  and  furs  to  the  posts.     Their  general  mode  of 


h-': 


96 


A  JOURNEY  TO  Tilt  SHORES 


%  ■ 


f'f, 


,«>|» 


'ft;;,  ,1. 


^■ 


dress  resembles  that  of  the  Stone  Indians ;  but  sometimes  they 
wear  cloth  legp;ins,  blankets,  and  other  useful  articles,  when  they 
can  afford  to  purchase  them.  They  decorate  their  hair  with  but- 
tons, like  the  others.  <■.  ....  ,    *• 

The  Crees  procure  guns  from  the  traders,  and  use  them  in  pre- 
ference to  the  bow  and  arrow ;  and  from  them  the  Stone  Indians 
often  get  supplied,  either  by  stealth,  gaming,  or  traffic.  Like  the 
rest  of  their  nation,  these  Crees  are  remarkably  fond  of  spirits,  and 
would  make  any  sacrifice  to  obtain  them.  I  regretted  to  And  the 
demand  for  this  pernicious  article  had  greatly  increased  in  this  de- 
partment within  the  few  last  years.  The  following  notice  of  these 
Indians  is  extracted  from  Dr.  Richardson's  Journal : —     , 

*'  The  Asseenaboine,  termed  by  the  Crees  Asseeneepoytuck,  or 
Stone  Indians,  are  a  tribe  of  Sioux,  who  speak  a  dialect,  of  the 
Iroquois,  one  of  the  great  divisions  under  which  the  American 
philologists  have  classed  the  known  dialects  of  the  Aborigines  of 
North  America.  The  Stone  Indians,  or  as  they  name  themselves, 
Eascab,  originally  entered  this  part  of  the  country  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Crees,  and  in  concert  with  them  attacked  and  drove 
to  the  westward  the  former  inhabitants  of  the  banks  of  the  Sas- 
katchawan.  They  are  still  the  allies  of  the  Crees,  but  have  now 
become  more  numerous  than  their  former  protectors.  They  ex- 
hibit all  the  bad  qualities  ascribed  to  the  Mengwe  or  Iroquois,  the 
stock  from  whence  they  are  sprung.  Of  their  actual  number  1 
could  obtain  no  precise  information,  but  it  is  very  great.  The 
Crees,  who  inhabit  the  plains,  being  fur  hunters  are  better  known 
to  the  traders.  .    '     .  : 

"  They  are  divided  into  two  distinct  bands,  the  Ammisk- 
watchee-thinyoowuc  or  Beaver  Hill  Crees,  who  have  about  forty 
tents,  and  the  Sackawee-thinyoowuc,  or  Thick  Wood  Crees,  who 
have  thirty-five.  The  tents  average  nearly  ten  inmates  each, 
which  gives  a  population  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  to  the  whole. 

"  The  nations  who  were  driven  to  the  westward  by  the  Eascab 
and  Crees  are  termed,  in  general,  by  the  latter,  Yatchee-thin- 
yoowuc,  which  has  been  translated  Slave  Indians,  but  more  pro- 
perly signifies  Strangers. 

"  They  now  inhabit  the  country  around  Fort  Augustus,  ano 


OF    TIIK    POLAR    SEA. 


97 


isk- 
riy 
,vho 
ch. 
olc. 
scab 


lowards  the  foot  of  the  rocky  mountair.s,  and  have  increased  in 
strcnfj;th  until  they  have  hecome  an  object  of  terror  to  the  Eascab 
themselves.  They  rear  a  j^rcat  number  of  horses,  make  use  of 
fire-arms,  and  are  fond  of  European  articles  ;  in  order  to  purchase 
which  they  hunt  beaver  and  other  furred  animals,  but  they  de- 
pend principally  on  the  buffalo  for  subsistence. 

"  They  are  divided  into  five  nations : — First,  the  PawUuslic- 
eythin-yoowuc,  or  fall  Indians,  so  named  from  their  former  resi- 
dence on  the  falls  of  the  Saskatchawan.  They  are  the  MinetarreSj 
with  whom  Captain  Lewis's  party  had  a  conflict  on  their  return 
iVom  the  Missouri.  They  have  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  or 
five  hundred  tents;  their  lan^juage  is  very  guttural  and  difficult 

"  Second,  the  Peganoo-eythinyoowuc  Pegans,  or  Muddy  River 
hidians,  named  in  their  own  language,  PegancieMiOon,  have  four 
hundred  tents. 

"  Third,  the  Meethco-thinyoowuc,  or  Blood  Indians,  named 
by  themselves  Kainoe-koon,  have  three  hundred  tents. 

"  Fourth,  the  Cuskoeteh-waw-lhesseetuck,  or  Black-foot  In- 
dians, in  their  own  language  Saxoekre-koon,  have  three  hundred 
and  fifty  tents. 

"  The  last  three  nations,  or  tribes,  the  Pegans,  Blood  Indians, 
and  Black-feet,  speak  the  same  language.  It  is  pronounced  in  a 
slow  and  distinct  tone,  has  much  softness,  and  is  easily  acquired 
by  their  neighbours.  I  am  assured  by  the  best  interpreters  in  the 
country,  that  it  bears  no  affinity  to  the  Cree,  Sioux,  or  Chipewyan 
languages. 

''  Lastly,  the  Sassees,  or  Circecs,  have  one  hundred  and  fifty 
tents ;  they  speak  the  same  language  with  their  neighbours,  the 
Snare  Indians,  who  are  a  tribe  of  the  extensive  family  of  the 

Chipewyans."* 

-^  -it. . . 

*  "  As  the  subject  may  be  interesting  to  philologists,  I  subjoin  a  few  words 
yf  the  Blackfoot  language : — 


Peestah  kan,       tobacco. 
Moohksee,  an  awl. 

Nappoe-oobkee,  rum. 
Cook  keet,  give  me. 

Eeninec,  bufialo. 


Pooxapoot, 
Kat  act  sits, 
Keet  sta  kee, 
Naum, 
Stoo-an, 


come  here, 
none,  1  have  none, 
a  beaver, 
a  bow. 
a  knife. 


*■ 


w 


M 


N 


fM- 


,(! 


h  '  • :- . 


I  1'-^' 


98 


A  .TouRNF.Y  TO  xrir  siioai;.". 


On  the  6th  of  Fehniary  wo  aocnmpiinied  Mr.  Pnulen**  on  a 
visit  to  a  Creo  encampment,  and  to  sco  a  Ijniliilo  pound,  botli  of 
them  situated  about  six  miles  from  the  house;  we  found  seven 
tents  pitched  within  a  small  clustei'  of  j)ines,  which  adjoined  the 
pound.  The  larnjest,  wliich  we  enteicd,  heloniijed  to  the  chief, 
who  was  absent,  but  came  in  directly  afterwards,  on  beins;  in- 
formed of  our  arrival.  The  old  man  (about  sixty)  welcomed  us 
with  a  hearty  shake  of  tiic  hand,  ami  the  customary  salutation  of 
"What  cheer?"  an  expression  which  they  have  }i;ained  from  the 
traders.  As  we  had  been  exp(!cted,  they  had  caused  the  tent  to 
be  neatly  arranp;ed,  fresh  i];rass  was  s|)read  on  the  !i;round,  buflalo 
robes  were  placed  on  the  side  opposite  the  door  for  us  to  sit  on, 
and  a  kettle  was  on  the  fire  to  boil  meat  lor  us. 

After  a  few  minutes'  conversation,  an  invitation  was  given  to 
the  Chief  and  his  himtcrs  to  smoke  the  calumet  with  us,  as  a  token 
of  our  friendship:  this  was  loudly  announced  throuo;h  the  camp, 
and  ten  men  from  the  other  tents  immediately  joined  our  party. 
On  their  entrance  the  women  and  children,  whose  presence  on 
such  occasions  is  contrary  to  etiquette,  withdrew.  The  calumet, 
havinc;  been  prepared  and  lighted  by  Mr.  Prudens's  clerk,  was 
presented  to  the  Chief,  who,  on  receiving  it,  performed  the  (bl- 
lowing  ceremony  before  he  commenced  smoking : — He  Urst  point- 
ed the  stem  to  the  south,  then  to  the  west,  north,  and  east,  and 
afterwards  to  the  heavens,  the  eaith,  and  the  fire,  as  an  ofi'ering  to 
the  presiding  spirits; — he  took  three  whill'sonly,  and  then  passed 
the  pipe  to  his  next  companion,  who  took  the  same  number  of 
whiiVs,  and  so  did  each  person  as  it  went  round.  After  the  calu- 
met had  been  replenished,  the  person  who  then  commenced  re- 
peated only  the  latter  part  of  the  ceremony,  pointing  the  stem  to 
the  heaven,  the  earth,  and  the  fire.  Some  spirits,  mixed  with 
witer,  were  presented  to  the  old  man,  who,  before  he  drank,  de- 
manded a  feather,  which  he  dipped  into  the  cup  several  times, 


V'l] 

i; 


fi      '    'i^ 


Sassoopats, 

ammiinitioii. 

Saw, 

no. 

Meenee, 

beads. 

Stwoc, 

cold  ;  It  is  cold 

Poomniees, 

fat. 

I'ennakoiTiit, 

a  horse. 

Miss  ta  poot. 

keep  ofi". 

Ahsoeii, 

jjood." 

OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


M 


and  sprinkled  tho  moisture  on  the  ground,  pronouncing  each  time 
a  prayer.  His  first  address  to  the  Keetcliee  JVIanitou,  or  Great 
Spirit,  was,  that  bufl'alo  might  he  abundant  every  where,  and  that 
plenty  might  come  into  their  pound.  He  next  prayed,  that  the 
other  animals  might  he  numerous,  and  particularly  those  which 
were  valuable  for  their  furs,  and  tlicn  desired  that  the  party  jire- 
sent  might  escape  the  sickness  which  was  then  prevalent,  and  be 
blessed  witli  constant  heallh.  Some  other  supplications  followed, 
which  we  could  not  get  intcrpreteil  without  interrupting  the  whole 
proceeding.  To  each  of  these  suppliiuitions  the  whole  Indian  party 
assented  by  exclaiming  Aha;  when  he  had  finished  them  the  old 
man  drank  a  little  and  passed  the  cup  round.  After  these  cere- 
monies each  person  smoked  at  his  leisure,  and  they  engaged  in  a 
general  conversation,  which  1  regretted  not  understanding,  as  it 
seemed  to  he  very  humorous,  exciting  frequent  bursts  of  laugh- 
ter. The  younger  men,  in  particular,  appeared  to  ridicule  the 
iibstinence  of  one  of  the  party,  who  neither  drank  nor  smoked. 
He  bore  their  jeering  with  perfect  composure,  and  assured  them, 
as  I  was  told,  they  would  be  better  if  they  would  follow  his  ex- 
amj)le.  I  was  happy  to  learn  from  Mr.  Prudens,  that  this  man 
was  not  only  one  of  the  best  hunters,  but  the  most  cheerful  and 
contented  man  of  the  tribe. 

Four  Stone  Indians  arrived  at  this  time,  and  were  invited  into 
the  tent,  but  one  only  accepted  the  invitation  and  partook  of  the 
fare.  When  Mr.  Prudens  heard  the  others  refuse,  he  gave  im- 
mediate directions  that  our  horses  should  be  narrowly  watched, 
as  he  suspected  these  fellows  wished  to  carry  them  oil".  Having 
learned  that  they  considered 'Mr.  Back  and  myself  to  be  war 
chiefs,  possessing  great  power,  and  that  they  expected  we  should 
make  some  address  to  them,  I  desired  them  to  be  kind  to  the 
traders,  and  to  be  industrious  in  procuring  them  provision,  and 
furs,  and  to  refrain  from  stealing  their  stores  and  horses ;  and  I 
assured  them,  if  I  heard  of  their  continuing  to  behave  kindly, 
that  I  would  mention  their  good  conduct  in  the  strongest  terms 
to  their  Great  Father  across  the  sea,  (by  which  appellation  they 
designate  the  King,)  whose  favourable  consideration  they  had 
been  taught  bv  the  traders  to  value  mo'^t  highlv. 


','!»!  ■ 


100 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


^.)(^^\.':< 


'lA 


,»'(> 


;v:jr" 


They  all  promised  to  follow  my  advice,  and  assured  me  it  was 
not  they,  but  the  Stone  Indians,  who  robhed  and  annoyed  the 
traders.  The  Stone  Indian  who  was  present,  heard  this  accusa- 
tion against  his  tribe  quite  unmoved,  but  he  probably  did  not  un* 
derstand  the  whole  of  the  communication.  We  left  them  to 
finish  their  rum,  and  went  to  look  round  the  lodges,  and  examine 
the  pound. 

The  greatest  propi)rtion  of  labour,  in  savage  life,  falls  to  the 
women  ;  we  now  saw  them  employed  in  dressing  skins,  and  con- 
veying wood,  water,  and  provision.  As  they  have  often  to  fetch 
the  meat  from  some  distance,  they  are  assisted  in  this  duty  by 
their  dogs,  which  arc  not  harnessed  in  sledges,  but  carry  their 
burthens  in  a  manner  peculiarly  adapted  to  this  level  country. 
Two  long  poles  are  fastened  by  a  collar  to  the  dog's  neck,  their 
ends  trail  on  the  ground,  and  are  kept  at  a  proper  distance  by  a 
hoop,  which  is  lashed  between  them,  immediately  behind  the 
dog's  tail;  the  hoop  is  covered  with  network,  upon  which  the 
load  is  placed. 

The  boys  were  amusing  themselves  by  shooting  arrows  at  u 
mark,  and  thus  training  to  become  hunters.  The  Stone  Indians 
are  so  expert  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  that  they  can  strike  a  ver) 
small  object  at  a  considerable  distance,  and  will  shoot  with  sufti- 
cient  force  to  pierce  through  the  body  of  a  buffalo  when  near. 

The  buffalo  pound  was  a  fenced  circular  space  of  about  a  hun- 
dred yards  in  diameter;  the  entrance  was  banked  up  with  snow, 
to  a  sufficient  height  to  prevent  the  retreat  of  the  animals  that 
may  once  have  entered.  For  about  a  mile  on  each  side  of  the 
road  leading  to  the  pound,  stakes  were  driven  into  the  ground  at 
nearly  equal  distances  of  about  twenty  yards;  tliesc  were  intend- 
ed to  look  like  men,  and  to  deter  tlie  animals  from  attempting  to 
break  out  on  either  side.  Within  lifly  or  sixty  yards  from  the 
pound,  branches  of  trees  were  placed  bciween  these  stakes  to 
screen  the  Indians,  who  lie  down  behind  them  to  await  the  ap- 
proach of  the  bufl'alo. 

The  principal  dexterity  in  this  species  of  cliase  is  shewn  by 
the  horsemen,  who  have  to  manoeuvre  round  the  herd  in  the 
plains  so  as  to  urge  them  ro  enter  the  roadway,  wlucli  is  a!)0ut  a 


i^t  -i-;i 


IK'.vM 


OF    Tllli    POLAR    SEA. 


101 


quarter  of  a  mile  broad.  When  tills  has  been  accomplished,  they 
raise  loud  shouts,  and  pressing  close  upon  the  animals,  so  terrify 
them  that  they  rush  heedlessly  forward  towards  the  snare.  When 
they  have  advanced  as  far  as  the  men  who  are  lying  in  ambush, 
they  also  rise,  and  increase  the  consternation  by  violent  shouting 
and  firing  guns.  The  affrighted  beasts,  having  no  alternative, 
run  directly  into  the  pound,  where  they  are  quickly  despatched, 
either  with  an  arrow  or  gun. 

There  was  a  tree  in  the  centre  of  the  pound,  on  which  the  In- 
dians had  hung  strips  of  buffalo  flesh  and  pieces  of  cloth  as  tribu- 
tary or  grateful  oflerings  to  the  Great  Master  of  Life ;  and  we 
were  told  that  they  occasionally  place  a  man  in  the  tree  to  sing  to 
the  presiding  spirit  as  the  buffaloes  are  advancing,  who  must  keep 
his  station  until  the  whole  that  have  entered  are  killed.  This  spe- 
cies of  hunting,  is  very  similar  to  that  of  taking  elephants  on  the 
Island  of  Ceylon,  but  upon  a  smaller  scale. 

The  Crees  complained  to  us  of  the  audacity  of  a  party  of  Stone 
Indians,  who  two  nights  before,  had  stripped  their  revered  tree  of 
many  of  its  offerings,, md  had  injured  their  pound  by  setting  their 
slakes  out  of  the  proper  places. 

Other  modes  of  killing  the  buffalo  are  practised  by  the  Indians 
with  success : — of  these  the  hunting  them  on  horseback  requires 
most  dexterity.  An  expert  hunter,  when  well  mounted,  dashes 
at  the  herd,  and  chooses  an  individual  which  he  endeavours  to  se- 
perate  from  the  rest.  If  he  succeeds,  he  contrives  to  keep  him 
apart  by  the  proper  management  of  his  horse,  though  going  at  full 
speed.  Whenever  he  can  get  sufficiently  near  for  a  ball  to  pene- 
trate the  beast's  hide,  he  fires,  and  seldom  fails  of  bringing  the  ani- 
mal down  ;  though  of  course  he  cannot  rest  the  piece  against  the 
shouMer,  nor  take  a  deliberate  aim.  On  this  service  the  hunter 
is  ofiuti  exposed  to  considerable  danger  from  the  fall  of  his  horse 
in  the  numerous  holes  which  the  badgers  make  in  these  plains, 
and  also  from  the  rage  of  the  buffalo,  which,  when  closely  pressed, 
often  tur.is  suddenly,  and,  rushing  furiously  on  the  horse,  fre- 
quently succeeds  in  wounding  it,  or  dismounting  the  rider.  When- 
ever the  atiimal  sb.ews  this  disposition,  \\hich  the  experienfed 


203042 


103 


A    JOUKNLY    TO    Tlin    SHOHF.S 


HM' 


I!'. 


u  ■ 


: ,   II.. 


; .. 


?  I    I 


hunter  will  readily  perceive,  he  immediately  pulls  up  his  horse, 
and  goes  off  in  another  direction. 

When  the  hudidoes  arc  on  their  guard,  horses  cannot  he  used 
in  approaclung  them  ;  but  the  hunter  dismounts  at  some  distance, 
and  crawls  in  the  snow  towards  the  herti,  pushing  liis  gun  beforo 
him.  If  the  bufl'aloes  happen  to  look  towards  him,  he  stops,  iuid 
keeps  quite  motionless,  until  their  eyes  are  turned  in  another 
direction  ;  by  this  cautious  jiroceediiig  a  skilful  person  will  get  so 
near  as  to  he  able  to  kill  two  or  three  out  of  the  herd.  It  vvill 
easily  be  imagined  this  service  cannot  be  very  agreeable  when  the 
thermometer  stands  30°  or  10°  below  zero,  as  sometimes  happens 
in  this  country. 

As  we  were  returning  from  the  tents,  the  dogs  that  were  har- 
nessed to  three  sledges,  in  one  of  which  JNlr.  Back  was  seated,  set 
off  in  pursuit  of  a  buffalo-calf.  Mr.  Back  was  speedily  thrown 
from  his  vehicle,  and  had  to  join  me  in  my  horse-cariole.  Mr.  Ilerriot 
having  gone  to  recover  the  dogs,  found  them  lying  exhausted  be- 
side the  calf,  which  they  had  baited  until  it  was  as  exhausted  as 
themselves.  Mr.  Herriot,  to  shew  us  the  mode  of  hunting  on 
horseback,  or,  as  the  traders  term  it,  running  the  buffalo,  went  in 
chase  of  a  cow,  and  killed  it  after  firing  three  shots. 

The  buffalo  is  a  huge  and  shapeless  animal,  quite  devoid  of 
grace  or  beauty;  particularly  awkward  in  running,  but  by  no 
means  slow  ;  when  put  to  his  speed,  be  plunges  through  the  deep 
snow  very  expeditiously ;  the  hair  is  dark  brown,  very  shaggy, 
curling  about  the  head,  neck  and  hump,  and  almost  covering  the 
eye,  particularly  in  the  bull,  which  is  larger  and  more  unsigiitly 
than  the  cow.  The  most  esteemed  part  of  the  animal  is  the  hump, 
called  by  the  Canadians  bos,  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  people  the  wig; 
it  is  merely  a  strong  muscle,  on  which  nature  at  certain  seasons 
forms  a  considerable  quantity  of  fat.  It  is  attached  to  the  long 
spinous  processes  of  the  first  dorsal  vertebrse,  and  seems  to  be  des- 
tined to  support  the  enormous  head  of  the  animal.  The  meat 
which  covers  the  spinal  processes  themselves,  after  the  wig  is  re- 
moved, is  next  in  esteem  for  its  flavour  and  juiciness,  and  is  more 
exclusively  terme<l  the  hump  by  the  hunters. 


1*1 


or  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


103 


:i 


'I'hc  party  was  prevented  from  visitina;  a  Stone  Iiulian  encamp- 
ment by  a  heavy  tall  of  snow,  wliicli  made  it  inipracticahle  to  go 
and  return  llic  same  day.  VV^c  were  dissuaded  from  sleeping  at 
their  tents  by  the  interpreter  at  the  N.VV.  post,  who  told  us  they 
considered  the  diseases  of  hooping-cough  and  measles,  under 
which  they  were  now  suilc'ring,  to  have  been  introduced  by  some 
white  people  recently  arrived  in  the  country,  and  that  he  feared 
those  who  had  lost  relatives,  imagining  we  were  the  persons, 
uiisiht  vent  their  revenge  on  us.  We  regretted  to  learn  these  dis- 
eases have  been  very  destructive  among  the  tribes  along  the  Sas- 
katchawan,  and  that  they  have  caiiied  otl"  about  three  hundred 
j)crsons,  Crees  and  Asseenaboines,  within  the  trading  circles  of 
these  establishments.  The  interpreter  also  informed  us  of  another 
bad  trait  peculiar  to  the  Stone  Indians.  Though  they  receive  a 
visitor  kindly  at  their  tents,  and  treat  him  very  hospitably  during 
his  slay,  yet  it  is  very  probable  they  will  despatch  some  young 
men  to  way-lay  and  rob  him  in  going  towards  the  post :  indeed 
all  the  traders  assured  us  it  was  more  necessary  to  be  vigilantly  on 
our  guard  on  the  occasion  of  a  visit  to  them,  than  at  any  other 
time. 

Carlton  House,  (which  our  observations  place  in  latitude  52°  50' 
47"  N.,  longitude  100'  12'  42"  VV.,  variation  20°  44'  47"  E.)  is 
pleasantly  situated  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  river's  side, 
on  the  flat  ground  under  the  shelter  of  the  high  banks  that  bound 
the  plains.  The  land  is  fertile  and  produces,  with  little  trouble, 
ample  returns  of  wheat,  barley,  oats  and  potatoes.  The  ground 
is  prepared  for  the  reception  of  these  vegetables,  about  the  middle 
of  April,  and  when  Dr.  Richardson  visited  this  place  on  May 
10th,  the  blade  of  wheat  looked  strong  and  healthy.  There  were 
only  five  acres  in  cultivation  at  the  period  of  my  visit.  The 
prospect  from  the  fort  must  be  pretty  in  summer,  owing  to  the 
luxuriant  verdure  of  this  fertile  soil ;  hut  in  the  uniform  and 
cheerless  garb  of  winter,  it  has  little  to  gratify  the  eye. 

Beyond  the  steep  bank  behind  the  house,  connnences  the  vast 
plain,  whose  boundaries  are  but  imperfectly  known  ;  it  extends 
along  the  south  branch  of  the  Saskatchawan,  and  towards  the 
sources  of  the  Missouri  and  Asseenauoine  rivers,  being  inter- 


f^'l''"1l' 

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104 


A   JOURNEY  TO  TlIK   SHOKKS 


>  * 


I  :^'  .  4- 


ruptccl  tlnoiigli  the  whole  of  lliis  grcut  space,  by  few  hills,  or  even 
risiiia;  urouiHls.  The  excellcnl  pasturau;e  furnishes  food  in  abun- 
tlance,  to  a  variety  of  grazinpj  animals,  of  which  the  butfalo,  red- 
deer,  and  a  species  of  antelope,  are  the  most  oonsi'derahlc.  'I'hcir 
presoncc  naturally  attracts  c;rcat  hordes  of  wolves,  which  arc  ot 
two  kinds,  the  larj;e,  anil  the  small.  iNlany  hears  prowl  about 
the  banks  of  this  river  in  summer;  of  these  the  fi;riz/ly  bear  is 
the  most  ferocious,  and  is  held  in  dread  both  by  Indians  and 
Europeans.  The  traveller,  in  crossing  these  plains,  not  only  suf- 
fers from  the  want  of  food  and  water,  but  is  also  exposed  to 
hazard  from  his  horse  slundjling  in  the  numerous  bad;;er-hoIcs. 
In  many  large  districts,  the  only  fuel  is  the  dried  dung  of  the 
buffalo;  and  when  a  thirsty  traveller  reaches  a  spring,  he  ha.« 
not  unfrequently  the  mortification  to  find  that  it  consists  of  salt 
water. 

Carlton  House,  and  La  Monlee,  are  provision-posts,  an  incon- 
siderable quantity  of  furs  being  obtained  at  either  of  them.  The 
provisions  are  procured  in  the  winter  season  from  the  Indians,  in 
the  form  of  dried  meat  and  fat,  and  when  converted  by  mixture 
into  pemmican,  furnish  the  principal  support  of  the  voyagers,  in 
their  passage  to  and  from  the  depots  in  the  summer.  A  consi- 
derable quantity  of  it  is  also  kept  for  winter  use,  at  most  of  the 
fur-posts,  as  the  least  bulky  article  that  can  be  taken  on  a  winter 
journey.  The  mode  of  making  pemmican  is  very  simple ;  the 
meat  is  dried  by  the  Indians  in  the  sun,  or  over  a  fire,  and  pound- 
ed by  beating  it  with  stones  when  spread  on  a  skin.  In  this  state 
it  is  brought  to  the  forts,  where  the  admixture  of  hair  is  partially 
sifted  out,  and  a  third  part  of  melted  fat  incorporated  with  it, 
partly  by  turning  them  over  with  a  wooden  shovel,  partly  by 
kneading  them  together  with  the  hands.  The  pemmican  is  now 
firmly  pressed  into  leathern  bags,  each  capable  of  containing  eighty- 
five  pounds,  and  being  placed  in  an  airy  place  to  cool,  is  fit  for  use. 
It  keeps  in  this  state,  if  not  allowed  to  get  wet,  very  well  for  one 
year,  and  with  great  care  it  may  be  preserved  good  for  two.  Be- 
tween three  and  four  hundred  bags  were  made  here  by  each  of 
the  companies  this  year. 

There  were  eight  men,  besides  Mr.  Prudens  and  his  clerk, 


■! 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


106 


of 


1 


i 


belongins;  to  Carlton  House.  At  La  Montec  there  were  seventy 
Canadians  and  half-breeds,  and  sixty  women  and  chihhen,  wlio 
consumed  upwards  of  seven  hundred  jioimds  of  huHldo  meet  daily, 
the  allowance  per  diem  for  each  man  beinj;  eight  pounds. 

There  are  other  provision  posts,  Fort  Augustus  and  Edmon- 
ton, farther  up  the  river,  from  whence  some  furs  are  also  pro- 
cured. The  Stone  Indians  have  threatened  to  cut  oil"  the  supplies 
in  going  up  to  these  establishments,  to  prevent  their  enemies  from 
obtaining  ammunition,  and  other  European  articles ;  but  as  these 
menaces  have  been  so  frequently  made  without  being  ])ut  in 
execution,  the  traders  now  hear  them  without  any  great  alarm, 
though  they  take  every  precaution  to  prevent  being  surprised. 
Mr.  Back  and  I  were  present  when  an  old  Crce  communicated 
to  Mr.  Prudens,  that  the  Indians  spoke  of  killing  all  the  white 
people  in  that  vicinity  this  year,  which  information  he  received 
with  perfect  composure,  and  was  amused,  as  well  as  ourselves, 
with  the  man's  judicious  remark  v.hich  immediately  followed, 
"  A  pretty  state  we  shall  then  be  in,  without  the  goods  you  bring 


us. 


» 


The  following  remarks  on  a  well-known  disease  arc  extracted 
from  Dr.  Richardson's  journal  ; — 

"  Bronchocele,  or  Goitre,  is  a  common  disorder  at  Edmonton. 
I  examined  several  of  the  individuals  afflicted  with  it,  and  endea- 
voured to  obtain  every  information  on  the  subject  from  the  most 
liuthentic  sources.  The  following  facts  may  be  depended  upon. 
This  disorder  attacks  those  only  who  drink  the  water  of  the  river. 
It  is  indeed  in  its  worst  state  conrtned  almost  entirely  to  the  half- 
breed  women  and  children,  who  reside  constantly  at  the  fort,  and 
make  use  of  river  water,  drawn  in  the  winter  through  a  hole  made 
in  the  ice.  The  men,  from  being  often  from  home  on  journies 
through  the  plain,  where  their  drink  is  melted  snow,  are  less 
affected  ;  and,  if  any  of  them  exhibit,  during  the  winter,  some 
incipient  symptoms  of  the  complaint,  the  annual  simimer  voyage 
to  the  sea  coast  generally  effects  a  cure.  The  natives  who  confine 
themselves  to  snow  water  in  the  winter,  and  drink  of  the  small 
rivulets  which  flow  through  the  plains  in  the  summer,  are  exempt 
from  the  attacks  of  this  disease. 

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100 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE   SHORES 


a 


These  facts  are  curious,  inasmuch  as  they  mihtate  against  the 
generally-received  opinion  that  the  disease  is  caused  by  drinking 
snow  water :  an  opinion  which  seems  to  have  originated  from 
bronchocele  being  endemial  to  sub-alpine  districts. 

*♦  The  Saskatchawan,  at  Edmonton,  is  clear  in  the  winter,  and 
ai:o  in  the  summer,  except  during  the  May  and  July  floods. 
The  distance  from  the  Rocky  mountains,  (which  I  suppose  to  be 
of  primitive  formation,)  is  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  thirty 
miles.  The  neighbouring  plains  are  alluvial,  the  soil  is  calcareous, 
and  contains  numerous  travelled  fragments  of  a  very  new  magne- 
sian  limestone.  At  a  considerable  distance  below  Edmonton,  the 
river,  continuing  its  course  through  the  plains,  becomes  turbid, 
and  acquires  a  white  colour.  In  this  state  it  is  drunk  by  the  in- 
mates of  Carlton  House,  where  the  disease  is  known  only  by 
name.  Il  is  said  that  the  inhabitants  of  Rocky  Mountain  House, 
sixty  miles  nearer  the  source  of  the  river,  are  more  severely 
affected  than  those  at  Edmonton.  The  same  disease  occurs  near 
the  sources  of  Elk  and  Peace  Rivers;  but,  in  those  parts  of  the 
country  which  are  distant  from  the  Rocky  Mountain  Chain,  it  is 
unknown,  although  melted  snow  forms  the  only  drink  of  the  na- 
tives for  nine  months  in  the  year. 

"  A  residence  of  a  single  year  at  Edmonton  is  sufficient  to  ren- 
der a  family  bronchocelous.  Many  of  the  goitres  acquire  great 
size.  Burnt  sponge  has  been  tried,  and  found  to  remove  the 
disease,  but  an  exposure  to  the  same  cause  immediately  repro- 
duces it. 

"  A  great  proportion  of  the  children  of  women  who  have 
goitres,  are  born  idiots,  with  large  heads,  and  the  other  distin- 
guishing marks  of  cretins.  I  could  not  learn  whether  it  was  ne- 
cessary that  both  parents  should  have  goitres,  to  produce  cretin 
children ;  indeed  the  want  of  chastity  in  the  half-breed  women 
would  be  a  bar  to  the  deduction  of  any  inference  on  this  head." 

Febmary  8. — Having  recovered  from  the  swellings  and  pains 
which  our  lata  march  from  Cumberland  had  occasioned,  we  pre- 
pared for  the  commencement  of  our  journey  to  Isle  a  la  Crosse, 
and  requisitions  were  made  on  both  the  establishments  for  the 
means  of  conveyance,  and  the  necessary  supply  of  provisions  for 


tion, 


■H 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


107 


foT 


the  party,  which  were  readily  furnished.  On  the  9th  the  carioles 
and  sledges  were  loaded,  and  sent  off  after  breakfast ;  but  Mr. 
Back  and  I  remained  till  the  afternoon,  as  Mr.  Pi  udens  had  offer- 
ed that  his  horses  should  convey  us  to  the  encampment.  At  3 
P.M.  we  parted  from  our  kind  host,  and  in  passing  through  the 
o-ate  were  honoured  with  a  salute  of  musketry.  After  riding  six 
miles,  we  joined  the  men  at  their  encampment,  which  was  made 
under  the  shelter  of  a  few  poplars.  The  dogs  had  been  so  much 
fatigued  in  wading  through  the  very  deep  snow  with  their  heavy 
burdens,  having  to  drag  upwards  of  i.inety  pounds  weight  each, 
that  they  could  get  no  farther.  Soon  after  our  arrival  the  snow 
began  to  fall  heavily,  and  it  cotitinued  through  the  greater  part  of 
the  night. 

Our  next  day's  march  was  therefore  particularly  tedious,  the 
snow  being  deep,  and  the  route  lying  across  an  unvarying  level, 
destitute  of  wood,  except  one  small  cluster  of  willows.  In  the 
afternoon  wc  reached  the  end  of  the  plain,  and  came  to  an  eleva- 
tion, on  which  poplars,  willows,  and  some  pines  grew,  where  we 
encamped,  having  travelled  ten  miles.  We  crossed  three  small 
lakes,  two  of  fresh  water,  and  one  of  salt,  near  the  latter  of  which 
we  encamped,  and  were,  in  consequence,  obliged  to  use  for  our 
tea  water  made  from  snow,  which  has  always  a  disagreeable 
taste. 

We  had  scarcely  ascended  the  hill  on  the  following  morning, 
when  a  large  herd  of  red  deer  was  perceived  grazing  at  a  little 
distance;  and,  though  we  were  amply  supplied  with  provision, 
our  Canadian  companions  could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  en- 
deavouring to  add  to  our  stock.  A  half-breed  hunter  was  there- 
foie  sent  after  them.  He  succeeded  in  wounding  one,  but  not  so 
as  to  prevent  its  running  off  with  the  herd,  in  a  direction  wide  of 
our  course.  A  couple  of  rabbits  and  a  brace  of  wood  partridges 
were  shot  in  the  afternoon.  There  was  an  agreeable  variety  of 
hill  and  dale  in  the  scenery  we  passed  through  to-day ;  and  suffi- 
cient wood  for  ornament,  but  not  enough  to  crowd  the  picture. 
The  valleys  were  intersected  by  several  small  lakes  and  pools, 
whose  snowy  covering  was  happily  contrasted  with  the  dark  green 
of  the  pine  trees  which  surrounded  them.    After  ascending  a  mo- 


lo« 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


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derately  high  hili  by  a  winding  path  througli  a  close  wood,  we 
opened  suddenly  upon  Lake  Iroquois,  and  had  a  full  view  of  its 
picturesque  shores.     We  crossed  it  and  encamped. 

Though  the  sky  was  cloudless,  yet  the  weather  was  warm.  We 
had  the  gratification  of  finding  a  beaten  track  soon  after  we  start- 
ed on  the  morning  of  the  12th,  and  were  thus  enabled  to  walk 
briskl}'.  We  crossed  at  least  twenty  hills,  and  found  a  small  lake 
or  pool  at  the  foot  of  each.  The  destructive  ravages  of  fire  were 
visible  during  the  greater  pait  of  the  day.  The  only  wood  we  saw 
for  miles  together  consisted  of  pine-trees,  stript  of  their  branches 
and  bark  by  this  element :  in  other  parts  poplars  alone  were 
growing,  which  we  have  remarked  invariably  to  succeed  the  pine 
after  a  conflagration.  We  walked  twenty  miles  to-day,  but  the 
direct  distance  was  only  sixteen  miles. 

The  remains  of  an  Indian  hut  were  found  in  a  deep  glen,  and 
close  to  it  was  placed  a  pile  of  wood,  which  our  companions  sup- 
posed to  cover  a  deposit  of  provision.  Our  Canadian  voyagers, 
induced  by  an  insatiable  desire  of  procuring  food,  proceeded  to 
lemovc  the  upper  pieces,  and  examine  its  contents ;  when,  to  their 
surprise,  they  found  the  body  of  a  female,  clothed  in  leather, 
which  appeared  to  have  been  recently  placed  there.  Her  former 
garments,  the  materials  for  making  a  fire,  a  fishing  line,  a  hatchet, 
and  a  bark  dish,  were  laid  beside  the  corpse.  The  wood  was 
carefully  replaced.  A  small  owl  perched  on  a  tree  near  the  spot, 
called  forth  many  singular  remarks  from  our  companions,  as  to  its 
being  a  good  or  bad  omen. 

We  walked  tiie  whole  of  the  13th  over  flat  meadow-land,  which 
is  much  resorted  to  by  the  buffalo  at  all  seasons.  We  saw  some 
herds,  but  our  hunters  were  too  unskilful  to  get  within  shot.  In 
the  afternoon  we  reached  the  Stinking  Lake,  which  is  nearly  of 
an  oval  form.  Its  shores  are  very  low  and  swampy,  to  which 
circumstances,  and  not  to  the  bad  quality  of  the  waters,  it  ower; 
its  Indian  name.  Our  observations  place  its  western  part  in  lati- 
tude 53°  25'  24"  N.,  longitude  107°  18'  58"  W.,  variation  20® 
32'  10"  E.  ^  .. 

After  a  march  of  fifteen  miles  and  a  half,  we  encamped  among 
a  few  pines,  at  the  only  spot  at  which  we  saw  sufficient  wood  for 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


109 


inakins^  our  fire  during  the  clay.  The  next  morning,  about  an 
liDin -after  we  had  commenced  our  march,  we  came  upon  a  beaten 
track,  and  perceived  recent  marks  of  snow-shoes.  In  a  short  time 
an  Iroquois  joined  us,  who  was  residing  with  a  party  of  Cree  In- 
dians, to  secure  the  meat  and  furs  they  should  collect,  for  the 
North-West  Company.  He  accompanied  us  as  far  as  the  stage  on 
which  his  meat  was  placed,  and  then  gave  us  a  very  pressing  in- 
vitation to  halt  for  the  day  and  partake  of  his  fare ;  which,  as  the 
hour  was  too  early,  we  declined,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  our 
Canadian  companions,  who  had  been  cherishing  the  prospect  of 
indulging  their  amazing  appetites  at  this  well-furnished  store,  ever 
since  the  man  had  been  with  us.  He  gave  them,  however,  a 
small  supply  previous  to  our  parting.  The  route  now  crossed 
some  ranges  of  hills,  on  which,  fir,  birch,  and  poplar,  grew  so 
thickly,  that  we  had  much  difficulty  in  getting  the  sledges  through 
the  narrow  patlnvay  between  them.  In  the  evening  we  descend- 
ed from  the  elevated  ground,  crossed  three  swampy  meadows,  and 
encamped  at  their  northern  extremity,  within  a  cluster  of  large 
pine-trees,  the  branches  of  which  were  elegantly  decorated  with 
abundance  of  a  greenish  yellow  lichen.  Our  march  was  ten  miles. 
The  weather  was  very  rniUl,  almost  too  warm  for  the  exercise  we 
were  taking. 

We  had  a  strong  gale  from  the  N.W.  during  the  night,  which 
subsided  as  the  morning  opened.  One  of  the  sledges  had  been  so 
much  broken  yesterday  amongst  the  trees,  that  we  had  to  divide 
Its  cargo  among  the  others.  We  started  after  this  had  been  ar- 
arranged,  and  finding  almost  immediately  a  firm  track,  we  soon 
arrived  at  some  Indian  lodges  to  which  it  led.  The  inhabitants 
were  Crees,  belonging  to  the  posts  on  the  Saskatchawan,  from 
whence  they  had  come  to  hunt  beaver.  We  made  but  a  short 
stay,  and  proceeded  through  a  Swamp  to  Pelican  Lake.  Our  view 
to  the  right  was  bounded  by  a  range  of  lofty  hills,  which  extend- 
ed for  several  miles  in  a  north  and  south  direction,  which,  it  may 
be  remarked,  has  been  that  of  all  the  hilly  land  we  have  passed 
since  quitting  the  plain. 

Pelican  Lake  is  of  an  irregular  form,  about  six  miles  from  east 
lo  west,  and  eight  from  north  to  south  ;  it  decreases  to  the  breadth 


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A   .lOURNJKY  TO  THE  SHARKS 


of  a  mile  towards  the  northern  extremity,  and  is  tliere  terminated 
by  a  creek.  We  went  up  this  creek  for  a  short  distance,  and 
then  struck  into  the  woods,  and  encamped  among  a  cluster  of  the 
firs,  which  the  Canadians  term  cypres  {pinus  inops) ',  having 
come  fourteen  miles  and  a  half. 

February  16. — Shortly  after  commencing  the  journey  to-day. 
we  met  an  Indian  and  his  family  who  had  come  from  the  houses 
at  Green  Lake  ;  they  informed  us  the  track  was  well  beaten  the 
whole  way.  We,  therefore,  put  forth  our  utmost  speed  in  the 
hope  of  reaching  them  by  night;  but  were  disappointed,  and  had 
to  halt  at  dark,  about  twelve  miles  from  them,  in  a  fisherman's 
hut,  which  was  unoccupied.  Frequent  showers  of  snow  fell  dur- 
ing the  day,  and  the  atmosphere  was  thick  and  gloomy. 

VV^e  started  at  an  early  hour  the  following  morning,  and  reached 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  post  to  breakfast,  and  were  receiv- 
ed very  kindly  by  Mr.  JMac  Farlane,  the  gentleman  in  charge. 
The  other  establishment,  situated  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
was  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Dugald  Cameron,  one  of  the  part- 
ners of  the  North-Wcst  Company,  on  whom  Mr.  Back  and  1 
called  soon  after  our  arrival,  and  were  honoured  with  a  salute  ol 
musketry. 

These  establishments  are  small,  but  said  to  be  well  situated  foi 
the  procuring  of  furs;  as  the  numerous  creeks  in  their  vicinity 
are  much  resorted  to  by  the  beaver,  otter,  and  musquash.  The 
residents  usually  obtain  a  superabundant  supply  of  provision 
This  season,  however,  they  have  barely  had  sufficient  for  their 
own  support,  owing  to  the  epidemic  which  has  incapacitated  the 
Indians  for  hunting.  The  Green  Lake  lies  nearly  north  and  south, 
is  eighteen  miles  in  length,  and  does  not  exceed  one  mile  and  a 
half  of  breadth  in  any  part.  The  water  is  deep,  and  it  is  in  con- 
sequence one  of  the  last  lakes  in  the  country  that  is  frozen.  Ex- 
cellent tittameg  and  trout  are  caught  in  it  from  March  to  Decem- 
ber, but  after  that  time  most  of  the  fish  remove  to  some  larger 
lake. 

We  remained  two  days,  awaiting  the  return  of  some  men  who 
iiad  been  sent  to  the  Indian  lodges  for  meat,  and  who  were  to  go 
on  with  us,     Mr.  Back  and  I  did  not  need  this  rest,  having  com- 


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OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


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pletely  surmounted  the  pain  which  the  walking  in  snow-shoes 
had  occasioned.  We  dined  twice  with  Mr.  Canrieron,  and  re- 
ceived from  him  many  useful  sugjijcstions  respectin<j;  our  future 
operations.  This  gentleman  havin<>;  informed  us  that  provisions 
would,  probably,  be  very  scarce  next  sprini^  in  the  Athabasca  de- 
partment, in  consequence  of  the  sickness  of  the  Indians  durinj;  the 
hunting  season,  undertook  at  my  request  to  cause  a  supply  of 
pemmican  to  be  conveyed  from  the  Saskatehawan  to  Isle  a  la 
Crosse  for  our  use  during  the  winter,  and  I  wrote  to  apprize  Dr. 
Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood,  tiial  they  would  find  it  at  the  latter 
post  when  they  passed  ;  and  also  to  desire  them  to  bring  as  much 
as  the  canoes  would  stow  from  Cumberland. 

The  atmosphere  was  clear  and  cold  during  our  stay ;  observa- 
tions were  obtained  at  the  Hudson  Bay  fort,  lat.  54°  16'  10"  N., 
long.  107°  29'  52"  W.,  var.  22°  6'  36"  E. 

February  20. — Having  been  equipped  with  carioles,  sledges, 
and  provisions,  from  the  two  posts,  we  this  day  recommenced  our 
journey,  and  were  much  amused  by  the  novelty  of  the  salute  giv- 
en at  our  departure,  the  guns  being  principally  fired  by  the  half- 
breed  women  in  the  absence  of  the  men.  Our  course  was  directed 
(0  the  end  of  the  lake,  and  for  a  short  distance  along  a  small  river; 
we  then  crossed  the  woods  to  the  Beaver  river,  whi^h  we  found 
to  be  narrow  and  very  serpentine,  having  moderately  high  banks. 
We  encamped  about  one  mile  and  a  half  further  up  among  pop- 
lars. The  next  day  we  proceeded  along  the  river ;  it  was  wind- 
ing, and  about  two  hundred  yards  broad.  We  passed  the  mouths 
of  two  rivers  whose  waters  it  receives  ;  the  latter  one,  we  were 
informed,  is  a  channel  by  which  the  Indians  go  to  the  Lesser 
Slave  Lake.  The  banks  of  the  river  became  higher  as  we  ad^ 
vanced,  and  were  furnished  with  pines,  poplars,  and  willows. 

Though  the  weather  was  ^^ery  cold,  we  travelled  more  com- 
fortably than  at  any  preceding  time  since  our  departure  from  Cum- 
berland, as  we  were  enabled,  by  having  light  carioles,  to  ride 
nearly  the  whole  day,  and  to  be  warmly  covered  up  with  a  buf- 
falo robe.  Mr.  M'Leod,  of  the  North-West  Company,  joined  us. 
He  had  kindly  brou^i;ht  some  things  from  Green  Lake,  which 
our  sledges  could  not  carry.     Pursuing  our  route  along  the  river, 


i;jiiti^o<1p 


w 


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A     .lOURNTY    TO    T!IF,    STIORV.S 


we  reached  at  an  early  hour  tlie  upper  extremity  of  the  *'  (irand 
Hapid,"  where  the  ice  was  so  roua;h  that  the  carioh^s  and  sledjjos 
had  to  be  conveyed  across  a  point  of  land.  Soon  after  noon  wo 
left  the  river,  incliniiii!;  N.H.,  and  directed  our  couise  N.VV.,  un- 
til we  reached  Lon*;  Lake,  and  encamped  at  its  northern  extre- 
mity, havinj;-  come  twenty-three  miles.  This  lake  is  about  four- 
tcicn  miles  lonjs;,  an<l  from  three  quarters  to  one  mile  and  a  half 
broad  ;  its  shores  and  islands  low,  but  well  wooded.  There  were 
frequent  snow-showers  during;  the  day. 

Fchrtmn/,  23. — The  niajht  was  very  stormy,  but  the  wind  be- 
came more  moderate  in  the  morninu;.  We  passed  to  day  throu2;h 
!?cveral  nameless  lakes  and  swamjis  befoie  we  came  to  Train  Lake, 
which  received  its  name  from  beinsj;  the  place  where  the  traders 
procured  the  birch  to  make  the  sledges,  or  traineaux  ;  but  this 
wood  has  been  all  used,  and  there  only  remain  pines  and  a  few  pop- 
lars. We  met  some  slcde;es  laden  with  fish,  kindly  sent  to  meet 
us  by  Mr.  Clark,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  directly  he 
heard  of  our  approach.  Towards  the  evenins;  the  weather  became 
much  more  unpleasant ;  we  were  exposed  to  a  piercin2;ly  cold 
wind,  and  much  snow-drift,  in  traversing;  Isle  a  la  Crosse  Lake; 
we  were,  therefore,  highly  pleased  at  reaching  the  Hudson's  Bay 
House  by  six  P.JNL  We  were  received  in  the  most  friendly 
manner  by  Mr.  Clark,  and  honoured  by  volleys  of  musketry  on 
our  arrival.  Similar  marks  of  attention  were  shewn  to  us  on 
the  following  day  by  INIr.  Bethune,  the  partner  in  charge  of  the 
North-West  Company's  fort.  I  found  here  the  letters  which  I 
had  addressed  to  the  partners  of  the  North-Wcst  Company,  in 
the  Athabasca,  from  Cumberland,  in  November  last.  This  cir- 
cumstance convinced  us  of  the  necessity  of  our  present  journey. 

These  establishments  are  situated  on  the  southern  side  of  the 
lake,  and  close  to  each  other.  They  are  forts  of  considerable 
importance,  beinii*  placed  at  a  point  of  communication  with  the 
English  River,  the  Athabasca,  and  Columbia  Districts.  The 
country  around  them  is  low.  and  intersected  with  water,  and  was 
formerly  much  frequented  by  beavers  and  otters,  which,  however, 
have  been  so  much  hunted  by  the  Indians,  that  their  number  is 
greatly  decreased.     The  Indians  frequenting  these  forts  are  tiu- 


.*;  ^ 


VI 


*'|l 


or  Tin:  polar  si,\. 


113 


Crocs  ami  some  Clii|)cwyaiis  ;  they  scarcely  ever  come  except  in 
the  sprinj;  ami  autumn  ;  in  the  Conner  season  to  brina;  their  win- 
ter's collection  of  lurs,  and  in  the  latter  to  gel  the  stores  they  re- 
(jiiiix'. 

Tjiree  Chipewyan  lads  came  in  durins;  oui-  slay,  to  report  what 
iiirs  the  band  to  which  they  belongeil  had  collected,  and  to  de- 
sire they  mi^ht  be  sent  tor;  the  Imlians  havini;  declined  bring- 
uv  either  furs  or  meat  themselves,  since  the  opposition  between 
the  (Jompanies  commenced.  IVir.  Back  ilrcw  the  portrait  of  one 
of  the  boys. 

Isle  a  la  Crosse  lake  receives  its  name  from  an  island  situat- 
ed near  the  forts,  on  which  the  Indians  foi-merly  assembled  annu- 
ally to  amuse  themselves  at  the  game  of  the  Cross.  It  is  justly 
celebrated  for  abundance  of  the  finest  tittameg,  which  weigh 
from  five  to  fifteen  pounds.  The  residents  live  principally  upon 
tliis  most  delicious  lish,  which  fortunately  can  be  eaten  a  long 
lime  without  producing  any  disrelish.  They  are  plentifully  caught 
wiih  nets  throughout  the  year,  except  for  two  or  three  months. 

March  4. — We  witnessed  the  Aurora  Borealis  very  brilliant, 
for  the  second  time  since  our  departure  from  Cumberland.  A 
winter  encampment  is  not  a  favourable  situation  for  viewing 
this  phenomenon,  as  the  trees  in  general  hide  the  sky.  Arrange- 
ments had  been  made  tor  recommencing  our  journey  to-day,  but 
the  wind  was  stormy,  and  the  snow  had  drifted  too  much  for 
travelling  with  comfort ;  we  therefore  stayed  and  dined  with  Mr. 
liethune,  who  promised  to  render  every  assistance  in  getting 
pemmican  conveyed  to  us  from  the  Saskatchawan,  to  be  in  readi- 
ness for  our  canoes,  when  they  might  arrive  in  the  spring ;  Mr. 
Clark  has  also  engaged  to  procure  six  bags  for  us,  and  to  furnish 
our  canoes  with  any  other  supplies  which  may  be  wanted,  and 
can  be  spared  from  his  post,  and  to  contribute  his  aid  in  forward- 
ing the  pemmican  to  the  Athabasca,  if  our  canoes  cannot  carry 
it  all. 

I  feel  greatly  indebted  to  Mr.  Clark,  for  much  valuable  infor- 
mation respecting  the  country  and  the  Indians  residing  to  the 
north  of  the  Slave  Lake,  and  for  furnishing  me  with  a  list  of 
stores  he  supposed  we  should  require.     This  gentleman  had  re- 

P 


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r'^.,* 


[  ?■    '»!*    .,. 


i:      5  !)., 

I'M;' 


sided  some  years  on  INIaclvcnzio's  River,  and  had  been  uiicc  so  l,«i 
towards  its  mouth  as  to  meet  the  Esquimaux  in  great  numbers. 
But  they  assumed  such  a  hostile  attitude,  that  he  deemed  it  un- 
advisable  to  attempt  opening  any  communication  with  them,  and 
retreated  as  speedily  as  he  coukl. 

The  observations  we  obtained  here  shewed  that  the  chrono- 
meters had  varied  their  rates  a  little,  in  consequence  of  the  joit- 
in,g  of  the  cariolcs  in  which  wc  rode;  but  their  errors  and  rates 
were  ascertainetl  previous  to  our  departure.  Wc  observed  the 
position  of  this  fort  to  bo  latitude  55°  25'  35"  N.,  lonsjilude  107 
51'  00"  W.,  by  lunars  reduced  back  from  Fort  Chipewyan,  varia- 
tion 22°  16'  48"  VV.,  dip  84°  13'  35". 

March  5. — We  recommenced  our  journey  this  morning,  hav- 
ing been  supplied  with  the  means  of  conveyance  by  both  the 
companies  in  equal  proportions.  Mr.  Clark  accompanied  us  with 
the  intention  of  going  as  far  as  the  boundary  of  his  district. 
This  gentleman  was  an  experienced  winter  traveller,  and  we  de- 
rived much  benefit  from  his  suggestions  ;  he  caused  the  men  to 
arrange  the  encampment  with  more  attention  to  comfort  and 
shelter  than  our  former  companions  had  done.  After  marching 
eighteen  miles  we  put  up  on  Gravel  Point,  in  the  Deep  River. 

At  nine  the  next  morning,  we  came  to  the  commencement  of 
Clear  Lake.  We  crossed  its  southern  extremes,  and  then  went 
over  a  point  of  land  to  Buffalo  Lake,  and  encamped  after  travel- 
ling twenty-six  miles.  After  supper  we  were  entertained  until 
midnight  with  paddling  songs,  by  our  Canadians,  who  requireil 
very  little  stimulus  beside  their  natural  vivacity,  to  afford  us  this 
diversion.  The  next  mornina;  we  arrived  at  the  establishments 
which  are  situated  on  the  western  side  of  the  lake,  near  to  a  small 
stream,  called  the  Beaver  River.  They  were  small  log  buildings, 
hastily  erected  last  October,  for  the  convenience  of  the  Indians 
who  hunt  in  the  vicinity.  Mr.  Mac  Murray,  a  partner  in  the 
N.W.  Company,  having  sent  to  Isle  a  la  Crosse  an  invitation  to 
Mr.  Back  and  me,  our  carioles  were  driven  to  his  post,  and  we 
experienced  the  kindest  reception.  These  posts  are  frequented 
by  only  a  few  Indians,  Crees  and  Chipewyans.  The  country 
round  is  not  sufficiently  stocked  with  animals  to  afford  support  ta 


W. 


or  • 


THE    POLAR    SEA. 


115 


many  families,  and  the  traders  almost  entirely  subsist  on  fish 
caught  in  the  autumn,  prior  to  the  lake  being  frozen.  The  water 
bein^  shallow,  the  lish  remove  to  a  deeper  part,  as  soon  as  the 
lake  is  covered  with  ice.  The  Aurora  Borcalis  was  brilliantly 
displayed  on  both  the  niji;;hls  we  remained  here,  but  particularly  on 
the  7th,  when  its  appearances  were  most  diversified,  and  the  mo- 
tion extremely  rapid.  Its  coruscations  occasionally  concealed 
from  sl2;lit  stars  of  the  first  magnitude  in  passinp;  over  them,  at 
other  times  these  were  faintly  discerned  through  them;  once  I 
perceived  a  stream  of  light  to  illumine  the  under  surface  of  some 
clouds  as  it  passed  along.     There  was  no  perceptible  noise. 

Mr.  Mac  Murray  gave  a  dance  to  his  voyagers  and  the  half 
breed  women  ;  this  is  a  treat  which  they  expect  on  the  arrival 
of  any  .stranger  at  the  post. 

We  were  presented  by  this  gentleman,  with  the  valuable  skin 
of  a  black  fox,  which  he  had  entrapped  some  days  before  our 
iirrival ;  it  was  forwarded  to  England  with  other  specimens. 

Our  observations  place  the  Nortb-West  Company's  house  in 
latitude  55°  53'  00"  N.,  longitude  108°  51'  10"  W. ;  variation  22° 
;J3'  23"  E. 

The  shores  of  Buffalo  I^ake  are  of  moderate  height,  and  well 
wooded,  but  immediately  beyond  the  bank  the  country  is  very 
swampy,  and  intersected  with  water  in  every  direction.  At  some 
distance  from  the  western  side  there  is  a  conspicuous  hill,  which 
we  hailed  with  much  pleasure,  as  being  the  first  interruption  to 
the  tedious  uniform  scene  we  had  for  some  time  passed  through. 

On  the  10th  we  recommenced  our  journey  after  breakfast  and 
travelled  quickly,  as  we  had  the  advantage  of  a  well-beaten  track. 
At  the  end  of  eighteen  miles  we  entered  upon  the  river  "  Loche," 
which  has  a  serpentine  course,  and  is  confined  between  alluvial 
banks  that  support  stunted  willows  and  a  few  pines ;  we  encamp- 
ed about  three  miles  further  on ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  next 
day's  march  perceived  several  holes  in  the  ice,  and  many  unsafe 
places  for  the  sledges.  Our  companions  said  the  ice  of  this  river 
is  always  in  the  same  insecure  state,  even  during  the  most  se- 
vere winter,  which  they  attribute  to  warm  springs.  Quitting 
the  river  we  crossed  a  portage  and  came  upon  the  Methye  Lp^.e, 


■i/; 


mny.   \ 


11  :f'  '■v:,!i. 


!■  V 


■     *    V.' 


■r   ,'.i" 


h 


>i< 


116 


A  .TOURNEY  TO  THE   SHORrS 


and  soon  afterwards  arrived  at  the  tradinc;  posts  situated  on  llir 
western  side  of  it.  Tiiesc  were  perfect  huts,  which  had  hcou 
hastily  built  after  the  commencement  of  the  last  winter.  Wc^ 
here  saw  two  hunters  who  wore  Chipewyan  half-breeds,  and 
made  many  inquiries  of  them  respecting  the  countries  we  tixpcct- 
ed  to  visit,  but  wc  found  them  quite  ignorant  of  every  part  be- 
yond the  Athabasca  Lake.  They  spoke  of  Mr.  Ilearne  and  oi 
his  conqianion  Malonnabec,  but  did  not  add  to  our  sU)ck  of  in- 
lormation  respecting  that  journey.  It  )iad  happened  before  their 
birth,  but  they  remembered  the  expedition  of  Sir  Alexander 
Mackenzie  towards  the  sea. 

This  is  a  picturesque  lake,  about  ten  iniles  long  and  six  broad, 
and  receives  its  name  from  a  species  of  fish  caught  in  it.  This 
(ish,  the  metliye,  is  not  much  esteemed  ;  the  residents  never  eat 
any  part  but  the  liver  except  through  necessity,  the  dogs  dislike 
even  that.  The  tittameg  and  trout  are  also  caught  in  the  fall  ot 
the  year.  The  position  of  the  houses  by  our  observations  is  lati- 
litude  56^^  24'  20"  N.,  longitude  109°  23'  OG"  W.,  variation  22' 
50'  28"  E. 

On  the  13th  we  renewed  our  journey,  and  parted  from  Mr  Clark, 
to  whom  we  were  much  obliged  for  his  hospitality  and  kindness. 
We  soon  reached  the  Methyc  Portage,  and  had  a  very  pleasant 
ride  across  it  in  our  carioles.  The  track  was  good,  and  led  through 
groups  of  pines,  so  happily  placed  that  it  would  not  have  re- 
quired a  great  stretch  of  imagination  to  fancy  ourselves  driving 
through  a  well  arranged  park.  We  had  now  to  cross  a  small 
lake,  and  then  gradually  ascended  hills  beyond  it,  until  we  arriv- 
ed at  the  summit  of  a  lofty  chain  of  mountains,  commanding  the 
most  picturesque  and  romantic  prospect  we  had  yet  seen  in  this 
country.  Two  ranges  of  high  hills  run  parallel  to  each  other  for 
several  miles,  until  the  faint  blue  haze  hides  their  ])articular 
cliaracters,  when  they  slightly  cliangc  their  coiu'sc,  and  are  lost 
to  the  view.  The  space  between  them  is  occupied  by  nearly  a 
level  plain,  through  which  a  river  pursues  a  meandering  course, 
and  receives  supplies  from  tlie  creeks  and  rills  issuing  from  the 
mountains  on  each  side.  The  prospect  was  delightful  even 
amid  the  snow,  and  though  marked  with  all  the  cheerless  cha- 


OF  Tin:  poj.AR  sr:A. 


117 


lacters  of  winter;  how  much  more  cliarmiii;^  must  it  be  when 
the  trees  are  in  leaf,  and  the  ground  is  arrayed  in  summer  ver- 
dure !  Some  faint  iilea  of.the  difl'ercnce  was  conveyetl  to  my 
mind  by  witnesuinc;  the  eflect  of  the  departing  rays  of  a  brilHant 
sun.  Tlie  <listant  prospect,  however,  is  surpassed  in  grandeur 
l)y  tlio  wilil  scenery  wliich  appeared  inunediately  below  our  feet. 
There  the  eye  penetrates  into  vast  ravines  from  two  to  three  hun- 
ched feet  in  dejjth.  that  are  clothed  with  trees,  and  lie  on  cither 
side  of  the  narrow  pathway  descending  to  the  river  over  eight 
successive  rid!';es  of  hills.  At  one  spot  termed  the  Cockscomb, 
the  passenger  stands  insulated  as  it  were  on  a  small  slip,  where  a 
false  step  might  precipitate  him  into  the  glen.  From  this  place 
Mr.  Back  took  an  interesting  and  accurate  sketch  of  the  view,  to 
enable  him  to  do  which,  we  encamped  early,  having  come  twenty- 
one  miles. 

The  Methye  Portage  is  about  twelve  miles  in  extent,  and  over 
this  space  the  canoes  and  all  their  cargoes  are  carried,  both  in 
o-oiug  to  and  from  the  Athabasca  department.  It  is  part  of 
the  range  of  mountains  which  separates  the  waters  flowing  south 
from  those  flowing  north.  According  to  Sir  Alexander  Macken- 
zie, ''  this  range  of  liills  continues  in  a  S,W.  direction  until  its 
local  height  is  lost  between  the  Saskatchawan  and  Elk  Rivers, 
close  on  the  banks  of  the  former,  in  latitude  53"  36'  N.,  longitude 
113°  45'  W.,  when  it  appears  to  take  its  course  due  north."  Ob- 
*;ervations,  taken  in  the  spring  by  Mr.  Hood,  place  the  north  side 
of  the  portage  in  latitude  50°  41'  40"  N.,  longitude  109°  52'  15  " 
\V.,  variation  25^  2'  30"  E.,  dip  85°  7'  27". 

At  daylight  on  the  14th  we  began  to  descend  the  range  of  hills 
loading  towards  the  river,  and  no  small  care  was  required  to  pre- 
vent the  sledges  from  being  broken  in  going  down  these  almost 
perpendicular  heights,  or  being  precipitated  into  the  glens  on  each 
side.  As  a  precautionary  measure  the  dogs  were  taken  oft',  and 
the  sledges  guided  by  the  men,  notwithstanding  which  they  de- 
sccnda^kwith  amazing  rapidity,  and  the  men  were  thrown  into  the 
most  ^Rnculous  attitudes  in  endeavoui'ing  to  stop  them.  When 
we  had  arrived  at  the  bottom  I  could  not  but  feel  astonished  at 
the  laborious  task  which  the  voyaii-'ts  have  twice  in  the  \ear  to 


'Is 


:-.(-|,.fil!j?    , 
1  ^;?  '■ 


ii  i. 


M4 


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n  '  I 


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Ki  i' 


116 


A  JOURNKY  TO  Till'.  SKOHr.i 


encounter  at  this  placo,  in  conveying  their  stores  hackwards  mul 
forwards.  We  went  across  the  (.Mear  AVater  River,  which  runs  at 
the  bases  of  these  hills,  and  followed  an  Indian  track  alonjj;  its 
northern  bank,  by  which  we  avoided  the  While  Mud  and  Good 
Portages.  We  afterwards  followed  the  river  as  far  as  the  Pine 
Portage,  when  we  passed  through  a  very  romantic  tielilc  of  rocks, 
which  presented  the  appearance  of  Gothic  ruins,  and  their  rude 
characters  were  happily  contrasted  with  the  softness  of  the  snow, 
and  the  darker  foliage  of  the  pines  which  crownetl  their  summits. 
We  next  crossed  the  Cascade  Portage,  which  is  the  last  on  llio 
way  to  the  Athabasca  Lake,  and  we  soon  afterwards  came  to  some 
Indian  tents,  containing  five  families,  belonging  to  the  Chipewyan 
tribe.  We  smoked  the  calumet  in  the  Chief's  tent,  whose  name 
was  the  Thumb,  and  distributed  some  tobacco  and  a  weak  mix- 
ture of  spirits  and  water  among  the  men.  They  received  this 
civility  with  much  less  grace  than  the  Crees,  and  seemed  to  con- 
sider it  a  matter  of  course.  There  was  an  utter  neglect  of  clean- 
liness, and  a  total  want  of  comfort  in  their  tents;  and  the  poor 
creatures  were  miserably  clothed.  Mr.  Frazer,  who  accompanied 
us  from  the  Methye  Lake,  accounted  for  their  being  in  this  forlorn 
condition  by  explaining,  that  this  band  of  Indians  had  recently 
destroyed  every  thing  they  pos^essed,  as  a  token  of  their  great 
grief  for  the  loss  of  their  relatives  in  the  prevailing  sickness.  It 
appears  that  no  article  is  spared  by  these  unhappy  men  when  a 
near  relatire  dies ;  their  clothes  and  tents  are  cut  to  pieces,  their 
guns  broken,  and  every  other  weapon  rendered  useless,  if  some 
person  do  not  remove  these  articles  from  their  sight,  which  is  sel- 
dom done. — Mr.  Back  sketched  one  of  the  children.  This  de- 
lighted the  father  very  much,  who  charged  the  boy  to  be  very 
good  now,  since  his  picture  had  been  drawn  by  a  great  Chief. 
We  learned  that  they  prize  pictures  very  highly,  and  esteem  any 
they  can  get,  however  badly  executed,  as  efficient  charms.  They 
were  unable  to  give  us  any  information  respecting  the  country 
beyond  the  Athabasca  Lake,  which  is  the  boundary  of  thau*  pere- 
grinations to  the  northward.  Having  been  apprized  of  Wn*  com- 
ing, they  had  prepared  an  encampment  for  us ;  but  we  had  wit- 
lies^•.'d  too  many  pjoofs  of  their  importunity  to  expect  that  we 


could  p 
rits,  tol 
])i"cforrc 
encamp 
teen  mi 
On  th 
perceive 
a  quimti 
by  some 
gooil. 
which  is 

is  CCIifuK 

mounlair 
and  \\-ere 
posed ^  to 
the  port) 
than  by  s 
he  intend 
the  snow 
Vcmbina 
found  trai 
the  day  1 
which  ou 
by  having 
last  two 
parly  :  tli 
111  a  plea 
miles. 

We  hai 
we  came 
pewyan  c 
hunters,  1 
us,  and  w 
them,  «^f 
they  c& 
beyond  tl 
each  pcrsi 


*, 

V 


OF  TIIF.   POLAR  SI:A. 


IPl 


roiilil  pass  the  night  nonr  thoni  in  any  comfort,  whilst  eithor  spi 
vits,  tobacco,  or  su«i;ar,  remained  in  our  ])ossessioii ;  ami  therefore 
ijicferred  to  go  about  two  nniles  further  alonu;  tbe  rivor,  and  to 
encamp  among  a  chjster  of  fuie  j)inc-tr.'es,  after  a  journey  of  six- 
teen miles. 

On  the  morning  of  the  15th,  in  proceeding  along  the  river,  wc 
perceived  a  strong  smell  of  sulphur,  and  on  the  north  shore  found 
a  quantity  of  it  scattered,  which  seemed  to  have  been  deposited 
by  some  spring  in  tlie  neighbourhood  :  it  appeared  very  pure  and 
good.  Wc  continued  our  course  the  whole  day  along  the  river, 
which  is  about  four  hundred  yards  wide,  has  some  islands,  and 
is  ccnfuied  between  low  land,  extending  from  the  bases  of  the 
mountains  on  each  side.  We  put  up  at  the  end  of  thirteen  miles, 
and  vrere  then  joined  by  a  Chipewyan,  who  came,  as  we  sup- 
posed,;  to  serve  as  our  guide  to  Pierre  au  Calumet,  hut  as  none  of 
tiie  party  could  communicate  with  our  new  friend,  otherwise 
tlian  by  signs,  we  waited  patiently  until  the  morning  to  see  what 
lie  intended  to  do.  The  wind  blew  a  gale  during  the  night,  and 
the  snow  fell  heavily.  The  next  day  our  guide  led  us  to  the 
Vembina  River,  which  comes  from  the  southward,  where  we 
found  traces  of  Indians,  who  appeared  to  have  quitted  this  station 
file  day  before  ;  we  had,  thercforo^  the  benefit  of  a  good  track, 
which  our  dogs  much  required,  as  they  were  greatly  fatigued, 
by  having  dragged  their  loads  through  very  deep  snow  for  the 
last  two  days.  \  moose  deer  crossed  the  river  just  before  the 
party  :  this  animal  is  plentiful  in  the  vicinity.  We  encamped 
in  a  pleasant  well  sheltered  plaoe,  having  travelled  fourteen 
miles. 

We  had  made  but  a  short  distance  the  following  morning,  when 
we  came  to  some  Indian  lodges,  which  belonged  to  an  old  Chi- 
pewyan chief,  named  the  Sun,  and  his  family,  consisting  of  five 
hunters,  their  wives,  and  children.  They  were  delighted  to  see 
us,  and  when  the  object  of  our  expedition  had  been  explained  to 
them,  mmressed  themselves  much  interested  in  our  progress ;  but 
they  c^d  give  no  particle  of  information  respecting  the  countries 
beyond  the  Athabasca  Lake.  We  smoked  with  them,  and  gave 
each  person  a  glass  of  mixed  spirits  and  some  tobacco.  We  learn- 


V20 


A  JOURNEY    TO  THE   SlIORi;S 


■is is   • 


!?  I' 


111 


J    ' 


U 


'.h'i,    :  ■     . 


I 


ill'  '• 


k.  '  !- 


■P' 


"   •   ''  imp 


ed  from  a  Canadian  servant  of  the  Noilh-Wcst  Company,  ^\^^) 
was  residing  with  them,  that  this  family  had  h)st  numerous  rola 
lives,  and  tliat  the  destruction  of  property,  uhich  had  been  madij 
after  their  death:?,  was  the  only  cause  for  the  pitiable  condition  in 
which  WG  saw  them.  Ho  said  the  whole  wei'e  industrious  luin- 
terj,  and,  therefore,  were  usually  better  provided  with  clothes, 
and  other  useful  articles,  than  most  of  the  Indians.  W^e  purchas 
ed  from  them  a  pair  of  snow-shoes,  in  exchange  for  some  amnm 
nition.  The  Chipewyans  arc  celebrated  for  making  them  good 
ond  easy  to  walk  in;  we  saw  somu  here  upwards  of  six  feet  long, 
and  three  broad  :  with  these  unwieldy  clogs  an  active  hunter,  in 
the  spring,  when  there  is  a  crust  on  the  surface  of  the  snow,  wil! 
run  down  a  moose  or  red  deer. 

We  made  very  slow  progress  after  leaving  this  party,  on  ac- 
count of  the  deep  snow,  but  continued  along  the  river  until  we 
reached  its  junction  with  the  Athabasca,  or  Elk  llivcr.  We  ob 
tained  observations  on  an  island,  a  little  below  the  Forks,  which 
gave,  longitude  111°  8'  42"  W.,  variation  21°  18'  20"  E.  Very 
little  wood  has  been  seen  during  this  da)''s  march.  The  west- 
ern  shore,  near  tlie  Forks,  is  destitute  of  trees ;  it  is  compov 
ed  of  lofty  perpendicular  cliflfs,  which  arc  now  covered  with 
snow.     The  eastern  shore  supports  a  few  pines. 

March  18. — Soon  after  our  departure  from  the  encampmeui 
we  met  two  men,  from  the  establishment  at  Pierre  au  Calu 
met,  who  gave  us  correct  information  of  the  situation  and  dir 
tance.  Having  the  benefit  of  their  track,  we  marched  at  a  toler- 
ably quick  pace,  and  made  twenty-two  miles  in  the  course  oi 
the  day,  though  the  weather  'vas  very  disagreeable  for  travel- 
ling, being  stormy,  with  constant  snow.  We  kept  along  the 
river  the  whole  time  :  its  breadth  is  about  two  miles.  Tiic 
islands  appear  better  furnished  with  wood  than  its  banks,  tlie 
summi's  of  which  are  almost  bare.  Soon  after  we  had  encamp- 
ed our  Indian  guide  rejoined  us ;  he  had  ''emained  behind  yes- 
terday, to  accompany  a  friend  on  a  hunting  excursion^vithout 
consulting  us.  On  his  return  this  evening  he  made  3(r  endea- 
vour to  explain  the  reason  of  his  absence,  but  sat  down  coolly, 
and  began  to  prepare  his  supper.     This  behaviour  made  us  sen- 


OF    I  HE    I'Ol.AR    StA. 


ISI 


^ible  that  litllu  dependence  is  to  be  placed  on  the  continuance  of 
an  Indian  guide,  when  his  inclination  leads  him  away. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  sent  forward  the  Indian  and  a  Ca- 
nadian, to  apprize  the  gentleman  in  charge  of  Pierre  au  Calumet 
of  our  approach;  and,  after  breakfast,  the  rest  of  the  party  pro- 
ceeded along  the  river  for  the  station,  which  we  reached  in  the 
afternoon.  Mr.  John  Stuart  was  in  charge  of  the  post,  the  senior 
partner  of  the  North-VVest  Company  in  the  Athabasca  department. 
Though  lie  was  quite  ignorant  until  this  morning  of  our  being  in 
the  countiy,  we  found  him  prepared  to  receive  us  with  great 
klnciiiess^  and  ready  to  afford  every  information  and  assistance, 
agreeably  to  the  desire  conveyed  in  Mr.  Simon  M'Gillivray's 
circular  letter.  This  gentleman  has  twice  tr;>versed  this  conti- 
nent, and  reached  the  Pacific  by  the  Columbia  River ;  he  was, 
therefore,  fully  conversant  with  the  different  modes  of  travelling, 
and  with  the  obstai-les  that  may  be  expected  in  passing  through 
unfrequented  countries.  His  suggestions  and  advice  were  conse- 
quently very  valuable  to  us.  Not  having  been  to  the  northward 
of  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  he  had  no  knowledge  of  that  line  of 
country,  except  what  he  had  gained  from  the  reports  of  Indians. 
He  was  of  opinion,  however,  that  positive  information,  on  which 
our  course  of  proceedings  may  safely  be  determined,  may  be  pro- 
cured from  the  Indians  that  frequent  the  north  side  of  the  lake, 
but  not  before  the  spring  when  they  come  to  the  forts.  He  re- 
commended my  writing  to  the  partner  in  charge  of  that  depart- 
ment, requesting  him  to  collect  all  the  intelligence  he  could,  and 
to  provide  guides  and  hunters  from  the  tribe  which  is  heax.  ac- 
quainted with  the  country  we  proposed  to  travel  through. 

To  our  great  regret,  Mr.  Stuart  expressed  much  doubt  as  to  our 
prevailing  upon  any  experienced  Canadian  voyagers  to  accompany 
us  to  the  sea,  in  consequence  of  their  dread  oJ  the  Esquimaux ; 
who,  he  informed  us,  had  already  destroyed  the  crew  of  one  ca- 
noe, which  had  been  sent  under  Mr.  Livingstone,  to  open  a  trad- 
ing communication  with  those  who  reside  near  the  mouth  of  the 
iViackenzie  River;  and  he  mentioned,  that  the  same  tribe  had 
driven  away  the  canoes  under  Mr.  Clark's  direction,  going  to 


> 


^i 


'i  f* 


<«« 


J' 


loo 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


■'.■    i '  ... 


them  on  a  similar  /bject,  to  which  circumstance  I  have  alKidcd  in 
my  remarks  at  Isle  a  la  Crosse. 

This  was  unpleasant  information ;  but  we  were  comforted  by 
Mr.  Stuart's  assurance  that  himself  and  his  partners  would  use 
every  endeavour  to  remove  their  fears,  as  well  as  to  pro  note  our 
views  in  ever}-  other  way  ;  and  he  undertook,  as  a  necessary  [  art 
of  our  equiqment  in  the  spring,  to  preparfe  the  bark  and  other 
materials  for  constructinc;  at  this  post  two  canoes. 

Mr.  Stuart  informed  us  that  the  residents  at  Fort  Chipewyan, 
from  the  recent  sickness  of  their  Indian  hunters,  have  been  reduced 
to  subsist  entirely  on  the  produce  of  their  fishing-nets,  which  did 
not  then  yield  more  than  a  bare  sufficiency  for  their  support ;  and 
he  kindly  proposed  to  us  to  remain  with  him  until  spring ;  but, 
as  we  were  most  desirous  to  gain  all  the  information  we  could  as 
early  as  possible,  and  Mr.  Stuart  assured  us  that  the  additic  i  of 
three  persons  would  not  be  materially  felt  in  their  large  '  " 
Chipewyan,  we  determined  on  proceeding  thither,  and  fixed  on 
the  22d  for  the  day  of  our  departure. 

This  house  receives  its  name  from  the  place  where  the  stone  is 
procured,  of  which  many  of  the  pipes  used  by  the  Canadians  and 
Indians  are  made.  It  is  a  clayey  limestone,  impregnated  with 
various  shells.  The  house  is  built  on  the  summit  of  a  steep  bank, 
rising  almost  perpendicular  to  the  height  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  feet,  and  from  it  an  extensive  prospect  is  commanded  along 
this  fine  river,  and  over  the  extensive  plains  which  stretch  out 
several  miles  at  the  back  of  it — and  are  bounded  by  hills  of  con- 
siderable height,  which  seem  to  be  better  furnished  with  wood 
than  the  neighbourhood  of  the  fort,  where  the  trees  grow  very 
scantily.  There  had  been  an  establishment  belonging  to  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  but  it  was 
abandoned  in  December  last,  on  account  of  the  residents  not  being 
abic  to  procure  provision  from  their  hunters,  having  been  disabled 
by  the  epidemic  sickness,  which  has  carried  oflf  one-third  of  the 
Indians  in  these  parts.  They  belong  to  the  Northern  Crees,  a 
name  given  them  from  their  residing  in  the  Athabasca  depart- 
ment.   There  are  now  but  few  families  of  these  men,  who,  for 


OF  THE  POLAR  SI,A. 


I2i 


in 


•■-*<■    > 


inerly,  by  their  numbers  and   predatory    habits,  spread  terror 
among  the  natives  of  this  part  of  the  country. 

There  are  springs  of  bituminous  matter  on  several  of  the  islands 
near  to  these  houses;  and  the  stones  on  the  river-bank  are  much 
impregnated  with  this  useful  substance.  There  is  also  another  re- 
m  rkable  place  at  which  salt  may  be  procured,  which  is  deposited 
on  the  surface  of  a  round  backed  hill  about  half  a  mile  from  the 
beach,  and  on  the  marshy  ground  underneath  it,  which  is  carried 
down  from  the  reservoir  by  several  small  streams.  We  visited 
these  places  at  a  subsequent  period  of  the  journey,  and  descrip- 
tions of  them  will  appear  in  Dr.  Richardson's  Mineralogical  No- 
tices. •  : 

The  latitude  of  the  North-West  Company's  House  is  57°  24' 
06"  N.,  but  this  was  the  only  observation  we  could  obtain,  owing 
to  the  atmosphere  being  cloudy  during  our  stay.  Mr.  Stuart  had 
an  excellent  thermometer,  which  indicated  the  lowest  state  of  tem- 
perature to  be  43°  below  zero.  He  told  me  45°  is  the  lowest  tem- 
perature he  had  ever  witnessed  at  the  Athabasca  or  Great  Slave 
Lake,  after  many  years'  residence.  On  the  21st  it  rose  above 
zero,  and  at  noon  attained  the  height  of  43° ;  the  atmosphere  was 
sultry,  snow  fell  constantly,  and  there  was  quite  an  appearance  of 
a  change  in  the  season.  On  the  22d  we  parted  from  our  hospita- 
ble friend,  and  re-commenced  our  journey,  but  under  the  expec- 
tation of  seeing  him  again  in  May  ;  at  which  time  the  partners  of 
the  Company  usually  assemble  at  Fort  Chipewyan,  when  we  hope 
the  necessary  arrangements  for  our  future  proceedings  will  be 
completed.  We  encamped  at  sunset,  at  the  end  of  fourteen  miles, 
having  walked  the  whole  way  along  the  river,  which  preserves 
nearly  a  true  north  course,  and  is  from  four  hundred  to  six  bun- 
tired  j'ards  broad.  The  banks  are  high,  and  well  furnished  with 
the  liard,  spruce,  fir,  alder,  birch-tree,  and  willows.  Having 
come  nineteen  miles  and  a  half,  on  tiie  23d,  we  encamped  among 
pines  of  a  great  height  and  girth. 

Showers  of  snow  fell  until  noon  on  the  following  day,  but  we 
continued  our  journey  along  the  river,  whose  banks  ai^d  islands 
became  gradually  lower  as  we  advanced,  and  less  it)utulatitly  sup- 
jilied  with  wood,  except  willows.     We  came  up  with  an  old  Ca- 


r- 'my  MAI 

ii.'4i 


>>-«*■ 


%  ^i' 


J  ^4 


A    JOURNEY    TO    TliF,    SHORES 


mri 


Ufiy      '         ;, 


yf  ■nlifMi 


t   0 


>^>L   '<! 


Mi 


M 


nadian,  who  was  resting  his  wearied  dogs  during  the  heat  of  tho 
sun.  He  was  carrying  meat  from  some  Indian  lodges  to  Fort 
Chipewyan,  having  a  burden  exceeding  two  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  on  his  sledge,  which  was  dragged  by  two  miserable  dogs. 
He  came  up  to  our  encampment  after  dark.  We  were  much 
amused  by  the  altercation  that  took  place  between  him  and  our 
Canadian  companions  as  to  the  qualifications  of  their  respective 
dogs.  This,  however,  is  such  a  general  topic  of  conversation 
among  the  voyagers  in  the  encampment,  that  we  should  not  pro- 
bably have  remarked  it,  had  not  the  old  man  frequently  offered  to 
bet  the  whole  of  his  wages  that  his  two  dogs,  poor  and  lean  as 
they  wee,  would  drag  their  load  to  the  Athabasca  Lake  in  less 
time  th,  -^  any  three  of  theirs  could.  Having  expressed  our  sur- 
prise at  "k.i  arent  temerity,  he  coolly  said  the  men  from  the 
lower  counti  1  .  did  not  understand  the  management  of  their  dogs, 
and  that  he  depended  on  his  superior  skill  in  driving;  and  we 
soon  gathered  from  his  remarks,  that  the  voyagers  of  the  Atha- 
basca department  consider  themselves  as  very  superior  to  any 
other.  The  only  reasons  which  he  could  assign  were,  that  they 
had  borne  their  burdens  across  the  terrible  Methye  Portage,  and 
that  they  were  accustomed  to  live  harder  and  more  precariously, 
March  25. — Having  now  the  guidance  of  an  old  Canadian,  we 
sent  forward  the  Indian,  and  one  of  our  men,  with  letters  to  the 
gentleman  at  the  Athabasca  Lake.  The  rest  of  the  party  set  oil 
afterwards,  and  kept  along  the  river  until  ten,  when  we  branch- 
ed off  by  porlages  into  the  Embarrass  River,  the  usual  channel  of 
communication  in  canoes  with  the  lake.  It  is  a  narrow  and  ser 
pentinc  stream,  confined  ijctween  alluvial  banks  which  support 
pines,  poplars,  and  willows.  We  had  not  advanced  far  before  we 
came  up  with  the  two  men  despatched  by  us  this  morning.  The 
stormy  weather  had  compelled  them  to  encamp,  as  there  was  too 
much  drifting  of  the  snow  ihr  any  attempt  being  made  to  cross 
the  lake.  VV'e  v.- re  obliged,  though  most  reluctantly,  to  follow 
their  example ;  but  we  comforted  ourselves  with  the  reflection 
that  this  was  the  first  time  we  had  been  stopped  by  the  weather 
during  our  long  journey,  which  was  so  near  at  an  end.  The  gale 
afterwards  increased,  the  squalls  at  night  became  very  violent. 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


125 


(lisburlhened  the  trees  of  the  snow,  and  gave  us  the  benefit  of  a 
continual  fall  of  patches  from  them,  in  addition  to  the  constant 
shower.  We  therefore  quickly  despatched  our  suppers,  and  re- 
tired under  the  shelter  of  our  blankets. 

]\f  rcli  26. — The  boisterous  weather  continued  through  the 
night,  and  it  was  not  before  six  this  morning,  that  the  wind  be- 
cime  apparently  moderate,  and  the  snow  ceased.  Two  of  the 
Canadians  were  immediately  sent  off  with  letters  to  the  gentlemen 
at  Fort  Chipewyan.  After  breakfast  we  also  started,  but  our 
Indian  friend,  having  a  great  indisposition  to  move  in  such  wea- 
ther, remained  by  the  fire.  We  soon  quitted  the  river,  and  after 
crossing  a  portage,  a  small  lake,  and  a  point  of  land,  came  to  the 
borders  of  the  Mam-ma-wee  Lake.  We  then  found  our  error 
as  to  the  strength  of  the  wind  ;  and  that  the  gale  still  blew  vio- 
lently, and  there  was  so  much  drifting  of  the  snow  as  to  cover 
the  distant  objects  by  which  our  course  could  be  directed.  We 
fortunately  got  a  glimpse  through  this  cloud  of  a  cluster  of  islands 
in  the  direction  of  the  houses,  and  decided  on  walking  towards 
them ;  but  in  doing  tliis  we  suffered  very  much  from  the  cold, 
and  were  obliged  to  halt  under  the  shelter  of  them,  and  await  the 
arrival  of  our  Indian  guide.  He  conducted  us  between  these  isl- 
ands, over  a  small  lake,  and  by  a  swampy  river,  into  the  Athabasca 
Lake,  from  whence  the  establishments  were  visible.  At  four 
P.M.  we  had  the  pleasure  of  arriving  at  Fort  Chipewyan,  and  of 
being  received  by  Messrs.  Keith  and  Black,  the  partners  of  the 
North-West  Company  in  charge,  in  the  most  kind  and  hospitable 
manner.  Thus  has  terminated  a  winter's  journey  of  eight  hun- 
dred and  fifty-seven  miles,  in  the  progress  of  which  there  has 
been  a  great  intermixture  of  agreeable  and  disagreeable  circum- 
stances. Could  the  amount  of  each  be  balanced,  I  suspect  the  lat- 
ter would  mi'.ch  pieponderate ;  and  amongst  these  the  initiation 
into  the  practice  of  walking  in  snow-shoes  must  be  considered  as 
prominent.  The  suffering  it  occasions  can  be  but  faintly  imagined 
by  a  person  who  thinks  upon  the  Inconvenience  of  marching  with 
a  weight  ol  between  two  and  three  pounds  constantly  attached  to 
galled  feet,  and  swelled  ankles.  Perseverance.'  and  practice  only 
will  enable  thn  novice  to  '^(innonut  liii.s  pain. 


'M 


■^m^>      t: 


126 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


til^;^'^;^ 


The  next  evil  is  the  being  constantly  exposed  to  witness  the 
wanton  and  unnecessary  cruelty  of  the  men  to  their  dogs,  espe- 
cially those  of  the  Canadians,  who  beat  them  unmercifully,  and 
habitually  vent  on  them  the  most  dreadful  and  disgusting  impie- 
cations.  There  are  other  inconveniences  which  though  keenly 
felt  during  the  day's  journey  are  speedily  forgotten,  when  stretch- 
ed out  in  the  encampment  before  a  large  fire,  you  enjoy  the  social 
mirth  of  your  companions,  who  usually  pass  the  evening  in  re- 
counting their  former  feats  in  travelling.  At  this  time  the  Cana- 
dians are  always  cheerful  and  merry,  and  the  only  bar  to  their 
comfort  arises  from  the  frequent  interruption  occasioned  by  the 
dogs,  who  are  constantly  prowling  about  the  circle,  and  snatching 
at  every  kind  of  food  that  happens  to  be  within  their  reach. 
These  nscful  animals  are  a  comfort  to  them  afterwards,  by  the 
warmth  ihey  impart  when  lying  down  by  their  side  or  feet,  as 
they  usually  do.  But  the  greatest  gratifications  a  traveller  in  these 
regions  enjoys,  are  derived  from  the  hospitable  welcome  he  re- 
ceives at  every  trading  post,  however  poor  the  means  of  the  host 
may  be ;  and  from  being  disrobed  even  for  a  short  time  of  the 
trappings  of  a  voyager,  and  experiencing  the  pleasures  of  cleanli- 
ness. 

The  following  are  the  estimated  distances,  in  statute  miles, 
which  Mr.  Back  and  I  have  travelled  since  our  depart?^re  from 
Cumberland:  . 


jii. 


From  Cumberland  House  to  Carlton  House     .    .    ,    .    .  263 

from  Carlton  to  Isle  a  la  Crosse 230 

From  Isle  a  la  Crosse  to  North  side  of  the  Melhye  Portage  124 

From  the  Methye  Portage  to  Fort  Chipewyan     ...    -  240 


857  Miles. 


'^^ 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


127 


CHAPTER  V. 

Transactions  at  Fort  Chipewyan — Arrival  of  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood — 
Preparations  for  our  Journey  to  the  Northward. 


1820.      ^ 
Marcli  26.  IJN  the  day  after  our  arrival  at  Fort  Chipewyan  we 

called  upon  Mr.  Mac  Donald,  the  gentleman  in  charge  of  the 
Hudson^s  Bay  Establishment  called  Fort  Wedderburne,  and  de- 
livered to  him  Governor  Williams's  circular  letter,  which  desired 
that  every  assistance  should  be  given  to  further  our  progress,  and 
a  states  ent  of  the  requisitions  which  we  should  have  to  make  on 
his  post. 

Our  first  object  was  to  obtain  some  certain  information  respect- 
ing our  future  route ;  and  accordingly  we  received  from  one  of 
the  North-West  Company's  interpreters,  named  Beaulieu,  a  half- 
breed,  who  had  been  brought  up  amongst  the  Dog-ribbed  and 
Copper  Indians,  som^^  satisfactory  information,  which  we  after- 
wards found  tolerably  correct,  resjwcting  the  mode  of  reaching 
the  Copper-mine  River,  which  he  had  descended  a  considerable 
\vay,  as  well  as  of  the  course  of  that  river  to  its  mouth.  The 
Copper  Indians,  however,  he  said,  would  be  able  to  give  us  more 
accurate  information  as  to  the  latter  part  of  its  course,  as  they  oc- 
casionally pursue  it  to  the  sea.  He  sketched  on  the  floor  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  river,  and  a  line  of  coast  according  to  his  idea  of 
it.  Just  as  he  had  finished,  an  old  Chipewyan  Indian,  named 
Black  Meat,  unexpectedly  came  in,  and  instantly  recognized  the 
plan.  He  then  took  the  charcoal  from  Beaulieu,  and  inserted  a 
track  along  the  sea-coast,  which  he  had  followed  in  returning  from 
a  war  excursion,  made  by  his  tribe  against  the  Esquimaux.  He 
detailed  several  particulars  of  the  coast  and  the  sea,  which  he  re* 
presented  as  studded  with  well-wooded  islands,  and  free  from  ice, 
close  to  the  shore,  but  not  to  a  great  distance,  in  the  month  of 


\26 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHOUES 


1:1'  l|f^il•l-^ 


Ail    ii 


July.  He  described  two  other  rivers  to  the  eastward  of  Copper- 
mine River,  which  also  fall  into  the  Northern  Ocean.  The  Ana- 
tessy,  which  issues  from  the  Contway-to  or  Rum  Lake,  and  the 
Thloueea-tessy  or  Fish  River,  which  rises  near  the  eastern  bound- 
ary of  the  Great  Slave  Lake ;  but  he  represented  them  both  as 
.being  shallow,  and  too  much  interrupted  by  barriers  for  being 
navigated  in  any  other  than  small  Indian  canoes. 

Having  received  this  satisfactory  intelligence,  I  wrote  imme- 
diately to  Mr.  Smith,  of  the  North-West  Company,  and  Mr. 
M'Vicar,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  the  gentlemen  in  charge 
of  the  posts  at  the  Great  Silver  Lake,  to  communicate  the  object 
of  the  Expedition,  and  our  proposed  route ;  and  to  solicit  any  in- 
formation they  possessed,  or  could  collect,  from  the  Indians,  re- 
lative to  the  countries  we  had  to  pass  through,  and  the  best  man- 
ner of  proceeding.  As  the  Copper  Indians  frequent  the  estab- 
lishment on  the  north  side  of  the  lake,  I  particularly  requested 
them  to  explain  to  that  tribe  the  object  of  our  visit,  and  to  endea- 
vour to  procure  from  them  some  guides  and  hunters  to  accom- 
pany our  party.  Two  Canadians  were  sent  by  Mr.  Keith  with 
these  letters. 

The  month  of  April  commenced  with  fine  and  clear  but  ex- 
tremely cold  weather ;  unfortunately  we  were  still  without  a  ther- 
mometer, and  could  not  ascertain  the  degrees  of  temperature. 
The  coruscations  of  the  Aurora  were  very  brilliant  almost  every 
evening  of  the  first  week,  and  were  generally  of  the  ?aost  varia- 
ble kind.  On  the  3d,  they  were  particularly  changeable.  The 
first  appearance  exhibited  three  illuminated  beams  issuing  from 
the  horizon  in  the  north,  east,  and  west  points,  and  directed  to- 
wards the  zenith ;  in  a  few  seconds  these  disappeared,  and  a  com- 
plete circle  was  displayed,  bounding  the  horizon  at  an  elevation  of 
fifteen  degrees.  There  was  a  quick  lateral  motion  in  the  attenu- 
ated beams  of  which  this  zone  was  composed.  Its  colour  was  a 
pale  yellow,  with  an  occasional  tinge  of  red. 

On  the  8th  of  April  the  Indians  saw  some  geese  in  the  vicinity 
of  this  lake,  but  none  of  the  migratory  birds  appeared  near  to  the 
houses  before  the  15th,  when  some  swans  flew  over.  These  arc 
generally  the  first  that  arrive ;  the  weather  had  been  very  stormy 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


139 


for  the  four  preceding  days,  and  this  in  all  probability  kept  the 
birds  from  venturing  farther  north  than  where  the  Indians  had 
first  seen  them. 

In  the  middle  of  the  month  the  snow  began  to  waste  daily, 
and  by  degrees  it  disappeared  from  the  hills  and  the  surface  of  the 
lake.  On  the  17th  and  19th  the  Aurora  appeared  very  brilliant 
in  patches  of  light,  bearing  N.W.  An  old  Cree  Indian  having 
found  a  beaver  lodge  near  to  the  fort,  Mr.  Keith,  Back,  and  I,  ac- 
companied him  to  see  the  method  of  breaking  into  it,  and  their 
mode  of  taking  those  interesting  animals.  The  lodge  was  con- 
structed on  the  side  of  a  rock  in  a  small  lake,  having  the  entrance 
into  it  beneath  the  ice.  The  frames  were  formed  of  layers  of 
sticks,  the  interstics  being  filled  with  mud,  and  the  outside  was 
plastered  with  earth  and  stones,  which  the  frost  had  so  completely 
consolidated,  that  to  break  through  required  great  labour,  with  the 
aid  of  the  ice  chisel,  and  the  other  iron  instruments  which  the 
beaver  hunters  use.  The  chase,  however,  was  unsuccessful,  as  the 
beaver  had  previously  evacuated  the  lodge. 

The  first  geese  we  observed  flying  near  to  the  fort  were  seen  on 
the  21st,  and  some  were  brought  to  the  house  on  the  30th,  but 
they  were  very  lean  ;  on  the  25th  flies  were  seen  sporting  in  the 
sun,  and  on  the  26th  the  ice  on  the  lake,  near  the  channel  of  the 
river,  was  overflowed,  in  consequence  of  the  Athabasca  river  hav- 
ing broken  up ;  but  except  where  this  water  spread,  there  was 
no  appearance  of  decay  in  the  ice. 

May — During  the  first  part  of  this  month,  the  wind  blew  from 
the  N.W.,  and  the  sky  was  cloudy.  It  generally  thawed  during 
the  day,  but  froze  through  the  night.  On  the  2d  the  Aurora 
faintly  gleamed  through  very  dense  clouds. 

We  had  a  long  conversation  with  Mr.  Dease  of  the  North- West 
Company,  who  had  recently  arrived  from  his  station  at  ih(  bottom 
of  the  Athabasca  Lake.  This  gentleman,  having  passed  several 
winters  on  the  Mackenzie's  River,  and  at  the  posts  to  the  north- 
ward of  Slave  Lake,  possessed  considerable  information  respecting 
the  Indians,  and  those  parts  of  the  country  to  which  our  in- 
quiries were  directed,  which  he  very  promptly  and  kindly  com- 
municated.    During  our  conversation,  an  old  Chipewyan  Indian, 

R 


% 


130 


A    JOURNEY   TO    THE    SHORES 


§  ' 


V    . 


f:,-:   "" 


named  the  Rabbit's  Head,  entered  the  room,  to  whom  Mr.  Dease 
referred  for  information  on  some  point.  We  found  from  his  an- 
swer that  he  was  a  step  son  of  the  late  Chief  Matonnabee,  who 
bad  accompanied  Mr.  Henrnc  on  his  journey  to  the  sea,  and  t'^at 
he  had  himself  been  of  tiie  party,  but  being  then  a  mere  boy,  he 
had  forgotten  many  of  the  circumstances.  He  confirms,  however, 
the  leading  incidents  related  by  Hearnc,  and  was  positive  he 
reached  the  sea,  though  he  admitted  that  none  of  the  party  had 
tasted  the  water.  He  represented  himself  to  be  the  only  survivor 
of  that  party.  As  he  was  esteemed  a  good  Indian,  I  presented 
him  with  a  medal,  which  he  received  gratefully,  and  concluded  a 
long  speech  upon  the  occasion,  by  assuring  me  he  should  pre- 
serve it  carefully  all  his  life.  The  old  man  afterwards  became 
more  communicative,  and  unsolicited  began  to  relate  the  tradition 
of  his  tribe,  respecting  the  discovery  of  the  Copper  Mi.'  -,  which  we 
thought  amusing ;  and  as  the  subject  is  somewhat  connc  3ted  with 
our  future  researches,  I  will  insert  the  translation  of  it  which  was 
given  at  the  time  by  Mr.  Dease,  though  a  slight  mention  of  it 
has  been  made  by  Hearne. 

"  The  Chipewyans  suppose  the  Esquimaux  originally  inhabited 
some  land  to  the  northward  which  is  separated  by  the  sea  from 
this  country ;  and  that  in  the  earliest  ages  of  the  world  a  party 
of  these  men  came  over,  and  stole  a  woman  from  their  tribe,  whom 
they  carried  to  this  distant  country  and  kept  in  a  state  of  slavery. 
She  was  very  unhappy  in  her  situation,  and  effected  her  escape 
after  many  years'  residence  among  them.  The  forlorn  creature 
wandered  about,  for  some  days,  in  a  state  of  uncertiuity  what  di- 
rection to  take,  when  she  chanced  to  fall  upon  a  beaten  path, 
which  she  followed,  and  was  led  to  the  sea.  At  the  sight  of  the 
ocean  her  hope  of  being  able  to  return  to  her  native  country  van- 
ished, and  she  sat  herself  down  in  despair,  and  wept.  A  wolf 
now  advanced  to  caress  her,  and  having  licked  the  tears  from  her 
eyes,  walked  into  the  water,  and  she  perceived  with  joy  that  it 
did  not  reach  up  to  the  body  of  the  animal ;  emboldened  by  this 
appearance  she  instantly  arose,  having  determined  on  venturing 
after  the  wolf,  and  she  immediately  provided  two  sticKs  to  s'lp- 
port  herself.  The  first  and  second  nights  she  proceeded  on,  with- 


OF    THE    POLAR   SEA. 


131 


out  finding  any  increase  in  the  depth  of  the  water,  and  when  fa- 
tigued, rested  herself  on  the  sticks,  whose  upper  ends  she  fasten- 
ed together  for  the  purpose.  She  was  alarmed  on  the  third  morn- 
ing, by  arriving  at  a  deeper  part,  but  she  resolved  on  going  for- 
ward at  any  risk,  rather  than  return ;  and  her  daring  perseverance 
was  crowned  with  success,  by  her  attaining  her  native  shore  on 
tlie  fifth  day.  She  fortunately  came  to  a  part  where  there  was  a 
beaten  path,  which  she  knew  to  be  the  track  made  by  the  rein- 
deer in  their  migrations.  V.^re  she  halted,  and  prepared  some 
sort  of  weapon  for  killing  them  ;  as  soon  as  this  was  completed, 
she  had  the  gratification  to  behold  several  herds  of  them  advanc- 
ing along  the  road,  and  had  the  happiness  of  killing  a  sufficient 
number  for  her  winter's  subsistence,  which  she  determined  to 
pass  at  that  place,  and  therefore  formed  a  house  for  herself,  after 
the  manner  she  had  learned  from  the  Esquimaux.  When  spring 
came,  and  she  emerged  from  her  subterraneous  dwelling,  (for 
such  the  Chipewyans  suppose  it  to  have  been,)  she  was  astonished 
by  observing  a  luminous  glittering  appearance  on  a  distant  hill, 
which  she  knew  was  not  produced  by  the  reflection  of  the  sun, 
and  being  at  a  loss  to  assign  any  other  cause  for  it,  she  resolved 
on  going  up  to  the  shining  object,  and  then  found  the  hill  was  en- 
tirely composed  of  metal.  She  broke  ofl"  several  pieces,  and  per- 
ceiving that  it  yielded  so  readily  to  her  beating,  it  occurred  to 
her  this  copper  (for  that  was  the  metal,)  would  be  very  servicea- 
ble to  her  countrymen,  if  she  could  find  them  again.  While  she 
was  meditating  on  what  was  to  be  done,  the  thought  struck  her 
that  it  would  be  advisable  to  attach  as  many  pieces  of  copper  to 
her  dress  as  she  could,  and  then  proceed  into  the  interior,  in 
search  of  some  inhabitants,  who,  she  supposed,  would  give  her  a 
favourable  reception,  on  account  of  the  valuable  treasure  she  had 
brought. 

"  It  happened  that  she  met  her  own  relations,  and  the  young 
men,  elated  with  the  account  she  had  given  of  the  hill,  made  her 
instantly  return  with  them ;  which  she  was  enabled  to  do,  having 
taken  the  precaution  of  putting  up  marks  to  indicate  the  path. 
The  pax'ty  reached  the  spot  in  safety,  but  the  story  had  a  melan- 
choly catastrophe.    These  youths,  overcome  by  excess  of  joy. 


If 

m 

t«  if'.' 

m 

m 

132 


A  JOURNET  TO  THE  SHORES 


I 
1    Si 


^  ' . 


M  ■ 


■'  s>     ... 


gave  loose  to  their  unrestrained  passions,  and  offered  the  grossest 
insults  to  their  kind  benefactress.  She  powerfully  resisted  them 
for  some  time,  and  when  her  strength  was  failing,  she  fled  to  the 
point  of  the  mountain,  as  the  only  place  of  security.  Immediately 
she  had  gained  the  summit,  the  earth  opened,  and  ingulphed  both 
herself  and  the  mouijjjiin,  to  the  utter  dismay  of  the  men,  who 
were  not  more  astonished  at  its  sudden  disappearance,  than  sorrow- 
ful for  this  just  punishment  of  their  wickedness.  Ever  since  this 
event,  the  copper  has  only  been  found  in  small  detached  pieces  on 
the  surface  of  the  earth." 

On  the   10th  of  May  we  were  gratified  by  the  appearance  of 
spring,  though  the  ice  remained  firm  on  the  lake.     The  anemone 
^-  (Pulsatilla,  pasque  flower,)  appeared  this  day  in  flower,  the  trees 

began  to  put  forth  their  leaves,  and  the  musquitoes  visited  the 
warm  rooms.  On  the  1 7th  and  ISth  there  were  frequent  showers 
of  rain,  and  much  thunder  and  lightning.  This  moist  weather 
caused  the  ice  to  waste  so  rapidly,  that  by  the  24th  it  had  entirely 
disappeared  from  the  lake.  The  gentlemen  belonging  to  be ^'i  the 
Companies  quickly  arrived  from  the  different  posts  in  de- 

partment, bringing  their  winter's  collection  of  furs,  which  oic  lor- 
Tvarded  from  these  establishments  to  the  depots. 

I  immediately  waited  on  Mr.  Colin  Robertson,  the  agent  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  communicated  to  him,  as  I  had  done 
before  to  the  several  partners  of  the  North- West  Company,  our 
plan,  and  the  requisitions  we  should  have  to  make  on  each  Com.- 
pany,  and  I  requested  of  all  the  gentlemen  the  favour  of  their  ad- 
vice and  suggestions.  As  I  perceived  that  the  arrangement  of 
their  winter  accounts,  and  other  business,  fully  occupied  them,  I 
forbore  further  pressing  the  subject  of  our  concerns  for  some  days 
and  until  there  was  an  appearance  of  despatching  the  first  brigade 
of  canoes.  It  then  became  necessary  to  urge  their  attention  to 
them  ;  but  it  was  evident,  from  the  determined  commercial  oppo- 
sition, and  the  total  want  of  intercourse  between  the  two  Compa- 
nies, that  we  could  not  expect  to  receive  any  cordial  advice,  or 
the  assurance  of  the  a^d  of  both,  without  devising  some  expedient 
to  bring  the  parties  together.  I  therefore  caused  a  tent  to  be 
pitched  at  a  distance  from  both  establishments,  and  solicited  the 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


Uii 


«yent1emen  of  both  Companies  to  meet  Mr.  Back  and  nie  there,  for 
the  purpose  ot'  anurdtng  us  their  combined  assistance. 

This  request  was  immediately  complied  with  ;  and  on  M-iy  25th 
we  were  joined  at  the  tent  by  Mr.  Stuart  and  Mr.  Grant,  of  the 
North- West  Company,  and  Mr.  Colin  Robertson,  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  all  of  whom  kindly  pave  very  satisfactory  answers 
to  a  series  of  questions  which  we  had  drawn  up  for  the  occasion,  and 
promised  all  the  aid  in  their  power. 

Furnished  with  the  information  thus  obtained,  we  proceeded 
to  make  some  arrangements  respecting  the  obtaining  of  men, 
and  the  stores  we  should  require  for  their  equipment,  as  well  as 
for  presents  for  the  Indians  ;  and  on  the  following  day  a  requisi- 
tion was  made  on  the  Companies  for  eight  men  each,  and  what- 
ever useful  stores  they  could  supply.  We  learnt  with  regret, 
that,  in  consequence  of  the  recent  lavish  expenditure  of  their  goods 
in  support  of  the  opposition,  their  supply  to  us  would,  of  neces- 
sity, be  very  limited.  The  men,  too,  ^v^;re  backward  in  offer- 
ing their  services,  especially  those  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, who  demanded  a  much  higher  rate  of  wages  than  I  consi- 
dered it  would  be  proper  to  grant. 

June  3. — Mr.  Smith,  a  partner  of  the  North-West  Company, 
arrived  from  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  and  was  the  bearer  of  the 
very  gratifying  intelligence  that  the  principal  Chief  of  the  Cop- 
per Indians  had  received  the  communication  of  our  arrival  with 
joy,  and  given  all  the  intelligence  he  possessed  respecting  the 
route  to  the  sea-coast  by  the  Copper-Mine  Uiver:  and  that  he 
and  a  party  of  his  men,  at  the  instance  of  Mr.  Wentzel,  a  clerk 
of  the  North-West  Company,  whom  they  wished  might  go  along 
with  them,  had  engaged  to  accompany  the  Expedition  as  guides 
and  hunters.  They  were  to  await  our  arrival  at  Fort  Providence, 
on  the  north  side  of  Slave  Lake.  Their  information  coincided 
with  that  given  by  Beaulieu.  They  had  no  doubt  of  our  being 
able  to  obtain  the  means  of  subsistence  in  travelling  to  the  coast. 
This  agreeable  intelligence  had  a  happy  effect  upon  the  minds  of 
the  Canadian  voyagers,  many  of  their  fears  being  removed ;  se- 
veral of  them  seemed  now  disposed  to  volunteer ;  indeed^  on  th^ 


134 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


'% 


^';;*ira 


k'i  < 


:'/i  '.t'l' 


lj;d. ';'!!- 


> 

1  '■■ 

■  4' 

1,  i 

;     J; 

i!. 

Mi 


m  !•  '■' 


same  evening,  two  men  from  the  North-West  Company  offered 
themselves  and  were  accepted. 

June  5. — This  day  Mr.  Back  and  I  went  over  to  Fort  Wed- 
derburne,  to  see  Mr.  Robertson  respecting  his  quota  of  men.  We 
learnt  from  him  that  notwithstanding  his  endeavours  to  persuade 
them,  his  most  experienced  voyagers  still  declined  engaging  with> 
out  very  exorbitant  wages.  After  some  hesitation,  however,  six 
men  engaged  with  us,  who  were  represented  to  be  active  and 
steady ;  and  I  got  Mr.  Robertson's  permission  for  St.  Germain, 
an  interpreter  belonging  to  this  Company,  to  accompany  us  from 
Slave  Lake,  if  he  should  choose.  The  bow-men  and  steers-men 
were  to  receive  one  thousand  six  hundred  livref?  Halifax  per  an- 
num, and  the  middle  men  one  thousand  two  hundred,  exclusive 
of  their  necessary  equipments ;  and  they  stipulated  that  their 
wages  should  be  con  .inued  until  their  arrival  in  Montreal,  or  their 
rejoining  the  serviv  e  of  their  present  employers. 

I  delivered  to  Mr.  Robertson  an  official  request,  that  the  stores 
we  had  left  at  York  Factory  and  the  Rock  Depot,  with  some 
other  supplies,  might  be  forwarded  to  Slave  Lake  by  the  first 
brigade  of  canoes  which  siiould  come  in.  He  also  took  charge 
of  my  letters  addressed  to  the  Admiralty.  Five  men  were  after- 
wards engaged  from  the  North- West  Company  for  the  same 
wages,  and  under  the  same  stipulations,  as  the  others,  besides  an 
interpreter  for  the  Copper  Lidians ;  but  this  man  required  three 
thousand  livres  Halifax  currency,  which  we  were  obliged  to  give 
him,  as  his  services  were  indispensable. 

The  extreme  scarcity  of  provision  at  the  posts  rendered  it  ne- 
cessary to  despatch  all  our  men  to  the  Mammawee  Lake,  where 
they  might  procurj  their  own  subsistence  by  fishing.  The  wo- 
men and  children  were  also  sent  away  for  the  same  purpose ; 
and  no  other  families  were  permitted  to  remain  at  the  houses 
after  the  departure  of  the  canoes,  than  those  belonging  '  i  the  men 
who  were  required  to  carry  on  the  daily  duty. 

The  large  party  of  officers  and  men,  'ivhich  had  assembled  here 
from  the  different  rosts  in  the,  department,  was  again  quicklj'  dis- 
perser^  The  first  biigade  of  canoes,  laden  with  furs,  was  des- 
patched to  the  depot  on  May  30th,  and  the  others  followed  in 


illii 


* 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


135 


two  or  three  days  afterwards.  Mr.  Stuart,  the  senior  partner  of  the 
North-West  Company,  quitted  us  for  the  same  destination,  on 
June  4th ;  Mr.  Robertson,  for  his  depot,  on  the  next  day  ;  and 
on  the  9th  we  parted  with  our  friend  Mr.  Keith,  to  whose  unre- 
mitting kindness  we  felt  much  indebted.  I  intrusted  to  his  care 
a  box  containing  some  drawings  by  Mr.  Back,  the  map  of  our  route 
from  Cumberland  House,  and  the  skin  of  a  black  beaver  (present- 
ed to  the  Expedition  by  Mr.  Smith,)  with  my  official  letters,  ad- 
dressed to  the  under  Secretary  of  State.  I  wrote  by  each  of  these 
tfentlemen  to  inform  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood  of  the  scar- 
city  of  stores  at  these  posts,  and  to  request  them  to  procure  all 
they  possibly  could  on  their  route.  Mr.  Smith  was  left  in  charge 
of  this  post  during  the  summer :  this  gentleman  soon  evinced 
his  desire  to  further  our  progress,  by  directing  a  new  canoe  to  be 
built  for  our  use,  which  was  commenced  upon  immediately. 

June  21. — This  day  an  opportunity  offered  of  sending  letters 
to  the  Great  Slave  Lake ;  and  I  availed  myself  of  it,  to  request 
Mr.  Wentzel  would  accompany  the  Expedition  agreeably  to  the 
request  of  the  Copper  Indians,  communicating  to  him  that  I  had 
received  permission  for  him  to  do  so  from  the  partners  of  the 
North-West  Company.  Should  he  be  disposed  to  comply  with 
my  invitation,  I  desired  that  he  would  go  over  to  Fort  Provi- 
dence, and  remain  near  the  Indians  whom  he  had  engaged  for 
our  service.  I  feared  lest  they  should  become  impatient  at  our 
unexpected  delay,  and,  with  the  usual  fickleness  of  the  Indian 
character,  remove  from  the  establishment  before  we  could  ar- 
rive. It  had  been  my  intention  to  go  to  them  myself,  could  the 
articles  which  they  expected  to  be  presented  on  my  arrival,  have 
been  provided  at  these  establishments  ;  but  as  they  could  not  be 
procured,  I  was  compelled  to  defer  my  'isit  until  our  canoes 
should  arrive.  Mr.  Smith  supposed  that  my  appearance  amongst 
them,  without  the  means  of  satisfying  any  of  their  desires,  would 
give  them  an  unfavourable  impression  respecting  the  expedition, 
which  would  make  them  indifferent  to  exertion,  if  it  did  not  even 
cause  them  to  withdraw  from  their  engagements. 

The  establishments  at  this  place,  Fort  Chipewyan  and  Wed- 
derburne,  the  chief  posts  of  the  companies  in  this  department j 


m 

£. 


A    JOURNEY    TO   THE    SHORES 


^■V 


f 


'»    5  ■ 


i'»    ' 


arc  conveniently  situated  for  communicating  with  the  Slave  and 
Peace  Rivers,  from  whence  the  canoes  as:«emhle  in  the  sprinc 
and  autumn ;    on  the  lirst  occasion  they  hring  the  collection  of 
furs  which  has  been  made  at  the  different  uuiposts  during  the 
winter ;  and  at  the  latter  season  they  receive  a  supply  of  stoics 
for  the  equipment  of  the  Indians  in  their  vicinity.     Fort  Wcd- 
derburne   is  a  small    house,    which    was   constructed    on    Coal 
Island  about  five  years  ago,  when  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
recommenced   trading  in  this  part  of   the  country.     Fort  Chi- 
pewyan  has  been  built  many  years,  and  is  an  establishment  of 
very  considerable  extent,  conspicuously  situated  on  a  rocky  point 
of  the  northern  shore  ;  it  has  a  tower  which  can  be  seen  at  a  con- 
siderable distance.  This  addition  was  made  about  eight  years  ago, 
for  the  purpose  of  watching  the  motions  of  the  Inilians,  who  in- 
tended, as  it  was  then  reported,  to  destroy  the  house  and  all  its 
inhabitants.     They  had  been  instigated  to  this  rash  design  by  the 
delusive  stories  of  one  among   them,    who  had  acquired  great 
influence  over  his  companions  by  his  supposed  skill  in  necro- 
mancy.    This  fellow  had  prophesied  that  there  would  soon  be 
a  complete  change   in  the  face  of  their  country  ;    that  fertility 
and  plenty  would  succeed  to  the  present  sterility ;  and  that  the 
present  race   of   white  inhabitants,  unless  they  became  subser- 
vient to  the  Indians,  would  be    removed,    and  their    place   be 
filled  by  other  traders,  who  would  supply  their  wants  in  eveiy 
possiblc  manner.     The   poor  deluded  wretches,  imagining  they 
would   hasten  this  happy   change  by    destroying  their    prcscint 
traders,  of  whose  submission  tlicre   v\as    no  prospect,  threaliMi- 
od  to  extirpate  them.     None  of  these  menaces,  however,  were 
put  in  execution.      They  were  probably  deterred  from  the  at- 
tempt by  perceiving  Uiat  a  most  vigilant  guard  was  kej)t  over 
them. 

The  portion  of  this  extensive  lake  which  is  near  to  the  esta- 
blishments, is  called  "  The  Lake  of  the  Hills"  not  improperly, 
as  the  northern  shore  and  the  islands  are  high  and  rocky.  The 
south  side,  however,  is  quite  level,  consisting  of  alluvial  land,  sub- 
ject to  he  flooded,  lying  betwixt  the  difl'erent  mouths  of  the  Elk 
River,  and  much  intersected  by  water.     The  rocks  on  the  northern 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


137 


;ihore  are  composed  of  syenite,  over  which  the  soil  is  thinly  spread ; 
it  is,  however,  sufficient  to  support  a  variety  cf  iirs  and  poplars, 
and  many  shrubs,  lichens,  and  mosses.  The  trees  arc  now  in  full 
foliage,  and  the  plants  gienerally  in  flower,  and  the  whole  scene  is 
quite  enlivening.  There  can  scarcely  he  a  higher  gratification  than 
that  which  is  enjoyed  in  this  country  in  witnessing  the  rapid  change 
which  takes  place  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  in  the  spring ; 
scarcely  does  the  snow  disappear  from  the  ground,  before  the 
trees  are  clothed  with  thick  foliage,  the  shrubs  open  their  leaves 
and  put  forth  their  variegated  flowers,  and  the  whole  prospect 
becomes  animating.  The  spaces  between  the  rocky  hills,  being 
for  the  most  part  swampy,  support  willows  and  a  few  poplars. 
These  spots  are  the  favourite  resorts  of  the  musquitoes,  which  in- 
cessantly torment  the  unfortunate  persons  who  have  to  pass  through 
Ihcm. 

Some  of  the  hills  attain  an  elevation  of  five  or  six  hundred  feet, 
at  the  distance  of  a  mile  from  the  house ;  and  from  their  summits 
a  very  picturesque  view  is  commanded  of  the  lake,  and  of  the 
surrounding  country.  The  land  above  the  Great  Point  at  the 
confluence  of  the  main  stream  of  the  Elk  River  is  six  or  seven 
hundred  feet  high,  and  stretches  in  a  southern  direction  Ikehiad 
Pierre  au  Calumet.  Opposite  to  that  establishment,  on  the  Viliil' 
side  of  the  river,  at  some  distance  in  thr  "itcrior,  the  liark  Moun- 
tain rises  and  ranges  to  the  N.W.,  untii  ii  rrtiches  Clear  Lake, 
about  thirty  miles  to  tlie  southward  of  the  fort,  anM  then  goes  to 
the  south-westward.  The  Cree  Indians  generally  [)rocure  from 
this  range  their  provision,  as  well  as  the  bark  for  the  making  oi 
the  canoes.  There  is  another  range  of  hills  on  the  south  shore, 
which  runs  towards  the  Peace  River. 

The  residents  of  these  establishments  dopend  for  subsistence 
almost  entirely  on  the  fish  which  this  lake  aflbrds ;  they  are  usu- 
ally caught  in  suflicient  abundance  throughout  the  winter,  though 
at  the  distance  of  eighteen  miles  from  the  houses;  on  the  thaw  ,.g 
of  the  ice,  the  fish  remove  into  some  smaller  lakes,  and  the  rivers 
un  the  south  shore.  Though  they  are  nearer  to  the  forts  than  in 
winter,  it  frequently  happens  that  high  winds  prevent  the  canoes 
from  transporting  them  thither,  and  the  residents  are  kept  in  eon- 

S 


m,^ 


iri 


w  ■ 

Mi 


T38 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


\{  y 


hr,. 


,ii,^ 


n  '■  I 


If 


ji  H  f, 


sequence  without  a  supply  of  food  for  two  or  three  days  together. 
The  lish  caught  in  the  net  are  the  tittameg,  trout,  carp,  methye, 
and  pike. 

The  traders  here  also  get  supplied  hy  the  hunters  with  hufTalo 
and  moose  deer  meat  (which  animals  are  found  at  some  distance 
from  the  ibrls),  hut  the  greater  part  of  it  is  either  in  a  dried  state, 
or  pounded  ready  for  making  pemmican ;  and  is  required  for  the 
men  whom  they  keep  travelling  during  the  winter  to  collect  the 
furs  from  the  Indians,  and  for  the  crews  of  the  canoes  on  their 
outward  passage  to  the  depots  in  spring.  There  was  a  great 
want  of  provision  this  season,  and  hoth  the  companies  had 
much  dilliculty  to  piovide  a  hare  sufficiency,  for  the  use  of  their 
dilTerent  brigades  of  canoes.  Mr.  Smith  assured  me  he  had  only 
(ive  hundred  pounds  of  meat  remaining  after  the  canoes  had  been 
despatched  for  the  use  of  the  men  who  might  travel  from  the 
post  during  the  summer,  and  that  five  years  preceding,  there  had 
been  thirty  thousand  pounds  in  store  under  similar  circumstances, 
lie  ascribed  this  amazing  difierence  more  to  the  indolent  habits 
which  the  Indians  had  acquired  since  the  commercial  struggle 
commenced,  than  to  their  recent  sickness,  mentioning  in  con- 
firmation of  his  opinion  that  they  could  novv,  by  the  produce  of 
little  exertion,  obtain  whatever  they  demanded  from  either  esta- 
blishment. 

At  the  opening  of  the  water  in  spring,  the  Indians  resort  to  the 
establishments  to  settle  their  accounts  with  the  traders,  and  to 
procure  the  necessaries  they  require  for  the  summer.  This  meet- 
ing is  generally  a  scene  of  much  riot  and  confusion,  for  the  hun- 
ters receive  such  quantities  of  spirits  as  to  keep  them  in  a  state  of 
intoxication  fi)r  several  days  This  spring,  however,  owing  to 
the  great  deficiency  of  spirits,  we  had  the  gratification  of  seeing 
them  generally  sober.  They  belong  to  the  great  family  of  the 
Chipewyan,  or  Northern  Indians,  dialects  of  their  language  being 
spoken  in  the  Peace,  and  M'Kenzie's  Rivers,  and  by  the  popu- 
lous tribes  in  >>ew  Caledonia,  as  ascertained  by  Sir  Alexander 
M'Kenzie  in  his  journey  to  the  Pacific.  They  style  themselves 
generally  Dinneh  men,  or  Indians,  but  <  ich  tribe,  or  horde,  adds 
some  distinctive  epithet  taken  from  the  name  of  the  river,  or  lake, 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


130 


on  which  they  hunt,  or  the  district  from  which  they  last  migrat- 
ed. Those  who  come  to  Fort  Chipewyan  term  themselves  Saw- 
cessaw-dinneh,  (Indians  from  the  risinj^  sun,  or  Eastern  Indians,) 
their  original  hunting  grounds  being  between  the  Athabasca,  and 
Great  Slave  Lakes,  and  Churchill  River.  This  district,  more 
particularly  termed  'he  Chipewyan  lands,  or  barren  country,  is 
frequented  by  numerous  herds  of  rein-deer,  which  furnish  easy 
subsistence  and  clothing  to  the  Indians;  but  the  traders  endeavour 
to  keep  them  in  the  parts  to  the  westward  where  the  beavers  re- 
sort. There  are  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  hunters  who  carry 
their  furs  to  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  forty  to  Hay  River,  and  two 
hundred  and  forty  to  Fort  Chipewyan.  A  few  Northern  Indians 
also  resort  to  the  posts  at  the  bottom  of  the  Lake  of  the  Hills,  on 
Red  Deer  Lake,  and  to  Churchill.  The  distance,  however,  of 
the  latter  post  from  their  hunting  grounds,  and  the  sufferings  to 
which  they  are  exposed  in  going  thither  from  want  of  food,  have 
induced  those  who  were  formerly  accustomed  to  visit  it,  to  convey 
their  furs  to  some  nearer  station. 

These  people  are  so  minutely  described  by  Hearne  ami  M'Ken- 
zie,  that  little  can  be  added  by  a  passing  stranger,  whose  observa- 
tions were  made  during  short  interviews,  and  when  they  were  at 
the  forts,  where  they  lay  aside  many  of  their  distinguishing  cha- 
racteristics, and  strive  at  an  imitation  of  the  manners  of  the  voy- 
agers and  traders. 

The  Chipewyans  are  by  no  means  prepossessing  in  their  appear- 
ance ;  they  have  broad  faces,  projecting  cheek-bones,  and  wide 
nostrils;  but  they  have  generally  good  teeth,  and  fine  eyes. 
When  at  the  fort  they  imitate  the  dress  of  the  Canadians,  except 
that,  instead  of  trovvsers,  they  prefer  the  Indian  stockings,  which 
only  reach  from  the  thigh  to  the  ankle,  and  in  place  of  the  waist- 
band, they  have  a  piece  of  cloth  round  the  middle,  which  hangs 
down  loosely  before  and  behind.  Their  hunting  dress  consists 
of  a  leathern  shirt  and  stockings,  over  which  a  blanket  is  thrown, 
the  head  being  covered  with  a  fur  cap  or  band.  Their  manner  is 
reserved,  and  their  habits  are  selfish  ;  they  beg  with  unceasing 
importunity  for  every  thing  they  see.  I  never  saw  men  who 
•rither  received  or  bestowed  a  gift  with  such  had  grace  ;  tliey 


140 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    HIIOULS 


iv'"' 


I'      ; 

i 

t 


^'  'Of   Wli 


Mitnosi  siialcli  the  thing  from  you  in  the  one  instance,  and  throw 
it  at  you  in  the  other.  It  could  not  be  expected  that  such  men 
should  display  in  their  tents,  the  amiable  hospitality  whicli  pre- 
vails generally  amongst  the  Indians  of  this  country.  A  stranger 
may  go  away  hungry  from  their  lodges,  unless  he  possesses  suffi- 
cient impudence  to  thrust,  uninvited,  his  knife  into  the  kettle, 
and  help  himself.  The  owner,  indeed,  never  deigns  to  take  any 
notice  of  such  an  act  of  rudeness,  except  by  a  frown,  it  being  be- 
neath the  dignity  of  a  hunter  to  make  disturbance  about  a  piece  of 
meat. 

As  some  relief  to  the  darker  shades  of  their  character,  it  should 
be  stated,  that  instances  of  theft  are  extremely  rare  amongst  them. 
They  profess  strong  alfection  for  their  children,  and  vsome  regard 
for  their  relations,  who  are  often  numerous,  as  they  «".ce  very  far 
the  ties  of  consanguinity.  A  curious  instance  of  the  former  was 
mentioned  to  us,  and  so  well  authenticated,  that  I  shall  venturc  to 
give  it  in  the  wortis  of  Dr.  Richardson's  Journal. 

"  A  young  Chipewyan  had  separated  from  the  rest  of  his  band 
for  the  purpose  of  trenching  beaver,  when  his  wife  who  was  his 
sole  companion,  and  in  her  first  pregnancy,  was  seized  with  the 
])ains  of  labour.  She  died  on  the  third  day  after  she  had  given 
birth  to  a  boy.  The  husband  was  inconsolable,  and  vowed  in 
his  anguish  iKJver  to  take  another  woman  to  wife,  but  his  grief 
was  soon  in  some  degree  absorbed  in  anxiety  for  the  fate  of  his 
infant  son.  To  preserve  its  life  he  descended  to  the  office  of 
nurse,  so  degrading  in  the  eyes  of  a  Chipewyan,  as  partaking  of 
the  duties  of  a  woman.  He  swaddled  it  in  soft  moss,  fed  it  with 
broth  made  from  the  flesh  of  the  deer,  and  to  still  its  cries  appli- 
ed it  to  his  breast,  praying  earnestly  to  the  great  Master  of  Life, 
to  assist  his  endeavours.  The  force  of  the  powerful  passion  by 
\vhich  he  was  actuated  produced  the  same  effect  in  his  case,  as  it 
has  done  in  some  others  which  are  recorded  ;  a  flow  of  milk  ac- 
tually took  place  from  his  breast.  He  succeeded  in  rearing  his 
child,  taught  him  to  be  a  hunter,  and  when  he  attained  the  age  of 
manhood,  chose  him  a  wife  from  the  tribe.  The  old  man  kept 
his  vow  in  never  taking  a  second  wife  himself,  but  he  delighted 
in  tending  his  son's  children,  and  when  his  daughter-in-law  used 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


141 


to  interfere,  saying,  that  it  was  not  the  occupation  of  a  man,  he 
was  wont  to  reply,  that  he  had  promised  to  the  great  Master  of 
Life,  if  his  child  was  spared,  never  to  be  proud,  like  the  other 
Indians.  He  used  to  mention,  too,  as  a  certain  proof  of  the  appro- 
bation of  Providence,  that  although  he  was  always  obliged  to  carry 
his  child  on  his  back  while  hunting,  yet  that  it  never  roused  a  moose 
by  its  cries,  being  always  particularly  still  at  those  times.  Our 
informant*  added  that  he  had  often  seen  this  Indian  in  his  old 
as;e,  and  that  his  left  breast,  even  then,  retained  the  unusual  sizC) 
it  had  acquired  in  his  occupation  of  nurse." 

We  had  proof  of  their  sensibility  towards  their  relations,  in 
iheir  declining  to  pitch  their  tents  where  they  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  do  for  many  years,  alleging  a  fear  of  being  reminded 
of  the  happy  hours  they  had  formerly  spent  there,  in  the  society 
of  tlie  affectionate  relatives  whom  the  sickness  had  recently  car- 
ried off.  The  change  of  situation,  however,  had  not  the  effect  of 
relieving  them  from  sorrowful  impressions,  and  they  occasionally 
indulged  in  very  loud  lamentations,  as  they  sat  in  groups,  within 
and  without  their  tents.  Unfortunately,  the  spreading  of  a  severe 
dysentery  amongst  them,  at  this  time,  gave  occasion  for  the  re- 
newal of  their  grief.  The  medicinal  charms  of  drumming  and 
singing  were  plentifully  applied,  and  once  they  had  recourse  to 
conjuring  over  a  sick  person.  I  was  informed,  however,  that  the 
Northern  Indians  do  not  try  this  expedient  for  the  cure  of  a  pa- 
tient so  often  as  the  Crees ;  but  when  they  do,  the  conjuror  is 
most  assiduous,  and  suffers  great  personal  fatigue.  Particular 
persons  only,  are  trained  in  the  mysteries  of  the  art  of  conjuring, 
to  procure  the  recovery  of  the  sick,  or  to  disclose  future  events. 

On  extraordinary  occasions  the  man  remains  in  his  narrow  con- 
juring tent,  for  days  without  eating,  before  he  can  determine  the 
matter  to  his  satisfaction.  When  he  is  consulted  about  the  sick, 
the  patient  is  shut  up  with  him ;  but  on  other  occasions  he  is  alone, 
and  the  poor  creature  often  works  his  mind  up  to  a  pitch  of  itfU.- 
sion  that  can  scai'cely  be  imagined  by  one  who  has  not  witnessed^ 
it.  His  deluded  companions  seat  themselves  round  his  tent,  and 
nwait  his  communication  with  earnest  anxiety,  yet  during;  tho 

*Mi\  Wcnt/eT. 


iii^r 


11 


%>Jk;.&> 


I'  ^1 


142 


A  JOURNKY  TO  THE  SHORES 


>mw^ 


m 


I 


llJiCri 


,«    ■    :';^' 


y:- 


1    •■J 


progress  of  his  inancciivrcs,  they  often  venture  to  question  him, 
as  to  the  disposition  of  the  Great  Spirit. 

These  artful  fellows  usually  gain  complete  ascendency  over  the 
minds  of  their  companions.  They  are  supported  by  voluntary 
contributions  of  provision,  that  their  minds  may  not  be  diverted 
by  the  labour  of  hunting,  from  the  peculiar  duties  of  their  pro- 
fession. 

The  chiefs  among  the  Chipewyans  are  now  totally  without 
power.  The  presents  of  a  flag,  and  a  gaudy  dress,  still  bestowed 
upon  them  by  the  traders,  do  not  procure  for  them  any  respect  or 
obedience,  except  from  the  youths  of  their  own  families.  This 
is  to  be  attributed  mainly  to  their  living  at  peace  with  their  neigh- 
bours, and  to  the  facility  which  the  young  men  find  in  getting 
their  wants  supplied  independent  of  the  recommendation  of  the 
chiefs,  which  was  formerly  required.  In  war  excursions,  bold- 
ness and  intrepidity  would  still  command  respect  and  procure 
authority  ;  but  the  influence  thus  acquired  would,  probably,  cease 
with  the  occasion  that  called  it  forth.  The  traders,  however,  en- 
deavour to  support  their  authority  by  continuing  towards  them  the 
accustomed  marks  of  respect,  hoisting  the  flag,  and  firing  a  salute 
of  musketry  on  their  entering  the  fort. 

The  chief  halts  at  a  distance  from  the  house,  and  despatches 
one  of  his  young  men  to  announce  his  approach,  and  to  bring  his 
flag,  which  is  carried  before  him  when  he  arrives.  The  messen- 
ger also  carries  to  him  some  vermilion  to  ornament  the  faces  of 
Ids  party,  together  with  a  looking-glass  and  comb,  some  tobacco, 
and  a  few  rounds  of  ammunition,  that  they  may  return  the  salute. 
These  men  paint  round  the  eyes,  the  forehead,  and  the  cheek 
bones. 

The  Northern  Indians  evince  no  little  vanity,  by  assuming  to 
themselves  the  comprehensive  title  of  "  The  People,"  whilst  they 
designate  all  other  nations  by  the  name  of  their  particular  coun- 
try. If  men  were  seen  at  a  distance,  and  a  Chipewyan  was  ask- 
ed who  those  persons  were,  he  would  answer.  The  People,  if  he 
recognized  them  to  belong  to  his  tribe,  and  never  Chipewyans; 
but  he  would  give  them  their  respective  names,  if  they  were  Eu- 
ropeans, Canadians,  or  Cree  Indians. 


OF   THE    POLAR    SEA. 


14S 


As  they  suppose  their  ancestors  to  come  originally  from  the 
yast,  those  who  happen  to  be  born  in  the  eastern  part  ol"  their  ter- 
ritory, arc  considered  to  be  of  the  best  origin.  I  have  been  in> 
formed,  that  all  the  Indians  who  trade  at  the  difl'crcnt  posts  in  the 
north-west  parts  of  America,  imagine  that  their  forefathers  came 
froni  the  east,  except  the  Dog-ribs,  who  reside  between  the  Cop- 
per Indian  Lands  and  the  Mackenzie's  River,  and  who  deduce 
their  origin  from  the  west,  which  is  the  more  remarkable,  as  they 
speak  a  dialect  of  the  Chipewyan  language.  I  could  gather  no  in- 
formation respecting  their  religious  opinions,  except  that  they 
have  a  tradition  of  a  deluge.^ 

The  Chipewyans  are  considered  to  be  less  expert  hunters  than 
the  Crces,  which  probably  arises  from  their  residing  much  on  the 
barren  lands,  where  the  rein-deer  arc  so  numerous  that  little  skill 
is  requisite.  A  good  hunter,  however,  is  highly  esteemed  among 
them.  The  facility  of  procuring  goods,  since  the  commercial  op- 
position commenced,  has  given  great  encouragement  to  their  na- 
tive indolence  of  disposition,  as  is  manifested  by  the  differonce  in 
the  amount  of  their  collections  of  furs  and  provision  betwei  Uie 
late  and  former  years.  From  six  to  eight  hundred  packs  of  irs 
used  formerly  to  be  sent  from  this  department,  now  the  return  sel- 
dom exceeds  half  that  amount.  The  decrease  in  the  provision 
has  been  already  mentioned. 

The  Northern  Indians  suppose  that  they  originally  sprang  from 
a  dog ;  and,  about  five  years  ago,  a  superstitious  fanatic  so  strongly 
pressed  upon  their  minds  the  impropriety  of  employing  these  ani- 
mals, to  wb"'"!^  ''ley  were  related,  for  purposes  of  labour,  that  they 
universally  jived  against  using  them  any  more,  and,  strange  as 
it  may  seem,  destroyed  them.  They  now  have  to  drag  every 
thing  themselves  on  sledges.  This  laborious  task  falls  most  hea- 
vily on  the  women ;  nothing  can  more  shock  the  feelings  of  a  per- 
son, accustomed  to  civilized  life,  than  to  witness  the  state  of  their 
degradation.  When  a  party  is  on  a  march  the  women  have  to 
drag  the  tent,  the  meat,  and  whatever  the  hunter  possesses,  whilst 
lie  only  carries  his  gun  and  medicine  case.  In  the  evening  they 
form  the  encampment,  cut  wood,  fetch  water,  and  prepare  the 
supper ;  and  then,  perhaps,  are  not  permitted  to  partake  of  the 


144 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


titu»"iti 


fare  until  the  men  have  finished.  A  successful  hunter'sonietinics 
has  two  or  three  wives ;  whoever  happens  to  be  the  favourite^ 
assumes  authority  over  the  others,  and  has  the  management  of  the 
tent.  These  men  usually  treat  their  wives  unkindly,  and  even 
with  harshness  ;  except,  indeed,  at  the  time  when  they  are  about 
to  increase  the  family,  and  then  they  shew  them  much  induU 
gence. 

Hearne  charges  the  Chipewyans  with  the  dreadful  practice  of 
abandoning,  when  in  extremity,  their  aged  and  sick  people.  The 
only  instance  that  came  under  our  personal  notice  was  attended 
with  some  palliating  circumstances  i^An  old  woman  arrived  at 
Fort  Chipewyan,  during  our  resident,  with  her  son,  a  little  boy 
about  ten  years  old,  both  of  whom  had  been  deserted  by  their 
relations,  and  left  in  an  encampment,  when  much  reduced  by  sick- 
ness :  two  or  three  days  after  their  departure  the  woman  gained 
a  little  strength,  and,  with  the  assistance  of  the  boy,  was  enabled 
to  paddle  a  canoe  to  the  fishing  station  of  this  post,  where  they 
were  supported  for  some  days,  until  they  were  enabled  to  pro- 
ceed in  search  of  some  other  relations,  who,  they  expected,  would 
treat  them  with  more  kindness.  I  learned,  indeed,  that  the  wo- 
man bore  an  extremely  bad  character,  and  had  even  been  guilty 
of  infanticide,  and  that  her  companions  considered  her  offences 
merited  the  desertion. 

This  tribe,  since  its  present  intimate  connexion  with  the  traders, 
has  discontinued  its  war  excursions  against  the  Esquimaux,  but 
they  still  speak  of  that  nation  in  terms  of  the  most  inveterate 
hatred.  We  have  only  conversed  with  four  men  who  have  been 
engaged  in  any  of  those  expeditions ;  all  these  confirm  the  state- 
ments of  Black-meat  respecting  the  sea-coast.  Our  observations 
concerning  the  half-breed  population  in  this  vicinity,  coincided  so 
exactly  with  those  which  have  been  given  of  similar  persons  in 
Dr.  Richardson's  account  of  the  Crees,  that  any  statement  respect- 
ing them  at  this  place  is  rendered  unnecessary.  Both  the  Com- 
panies have  wisely  prohibited  their  servants  from  intermarrying 
with  pure  Indian  women,  which  was  formerly  the  cause  of  many 
quarrels  with  the  tribes. 

The  weather  was  extemely  variable,  during  the  month  of  June : 


J^'^- 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


145 


nti  scarcely  had  two  clear  clays  in  succession,  and  the  showers  of 
rain  were  frequent ;  the  winds  were  often  strong,  and  generally 
blowing  from  the  north-eist  quarter.  On  the  evening  of  the  16th 
tlie  Aurora  Borealis  was  visible,  but  after  that  date  the  nights 
were  too  light  for  our  discerning  it. 

The  musquitoes  swarmed  in  great  numbers  about  the  house,  and 
tormented  us  so  incessantly  by  their  irritating  stings,  that  we  were 
compelled  to  keep  our  rooms  constantly  filled  with  smoke,  which 
is  the  only  means  of  driving  them  away  :  the  weather  indeed  was 
now  warm.  Having  received  one  of  Dollond's  eighteen-inch 
spirit  thermometers  from  MtL  Stuart,  which  he  had  the  kindness 
to  send  us  from  his  post  asrierre  au  Calumet,  after  he  had  learn- 
ed that  ours  had  been  rendered  useless,  I  observed  the  tempera- 
ture, at  noon,  on  the  25th  of  June,  to  be  63°. 

On  the  following  morning  we  made  an  excursion,  accompanied 
by  Mr.  Smith,  round  the  fishing  stations  on  the  south  side  of  the 
lake,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  our  men  :  we  passed  several 
groups  of  women  and  children  belonging  to  both  the  forts,  posted 
wherever  they  could  find  a  sufficiently  dry  spot  for  an  encamp- 
ment. At  length  we  came  to  our  men,  pitched  upon  a  narrow 
strip  of  land,  situated  between  two  rivers.  Though  the  portion 
of  dry  ground  did  not  exceed  fifty  yards,  yet  they  appeared  to 
be  living  very  comfortably,  having  formed  huts  with  the  ca- 
noes' sail  and  covering,  and  were  amply  supported  by  the  fish 
their  nets  daily  furnished.  They  sometimes  had  a  change  in 
their  fare,  by  procuring  a  few  ducks  and  other  water  fowl,  which 
resort  in  great  abundance  to  the  marshes,  by  which  they  were  < 
surrounded. 

July  2. — The  canoe,  which  was  ordered  to  be  built  for  our 
use,  was  finished.  As  it  was  constructed  after  the  manner,  which 
has  been  accurately  described  by  Hearne,  and  several  of  the  Ame- 
rican travellers,  a  detail  of  the  process  will  be  unnecessary.  lis 
extreme  length  was  thirty-two  feet  six  inches,  including  the  bow 
and  stern  pieces,  its  greatest  breadth  was  four  feet  ten  inches,  but 
it  was  only  two  feet  nine  inches  forward  where  the  bowman  sat, 
and  two  feet  four  inches  behind  where  the  steersman  was  placed ; 
and  its  depth  was  one  foot  eleven  and  a  quarter  inches.     There 

T 


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A  JOURNtY    lO    rUJi  6H0Rr.& 


mk^ 


«    .  ■  I ;  • 


1 


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ii 


'!'  '''   f 


''-,'•!.' 
i>.>. 


were  seventy-three  hoops  of  thin  cedar,  and  a  layer  of  slender 
laths  of  the  same  wood  within  the  frame.  These  fechle  vessels  of 
bark  will  carry  twenty-five  pieces  of  goods,  each  weighing  ninety 
pounds,  exclusive  of  the  necessary  provision  and  baggage  for  the 
crew  of  five  or  six  men,  amounting  in  the  whole  to  about  three 
thousand  three  hundred  pounds'  weight.  This  great  lading  Ihcy 
annually  carry  between  the  dej  ots  and  the  posts,  in  the  intcnor; 
and  it  rarely  happens  that  any  ipcidcnts  occur,  if  they  arc  ma- 
naged by  experienced  bowmen  Uiid  steersmen,  on  whose  skill  the 
safety  of  the  canoe  entirely  depends  in  the  rapids  and  diflicult 
places.  When  a  total  portage  is  m^,  these  two  men  carry  the 
canoe,  and  they  often  run  with  it,  tlPigh  its  weight  is  estimated 
at  about  three  hundred  pounds,  exclusive  of  the  poles  and  oars, 
which  are  occasionally  left  in  where  the  distance  is  short. 

On  the  5th,  we  made  an  excursion  for  the  purpose  of  trying 
our  canoe.  A  heavy  gale  came  on  in  the  evening,  which  caused 
a  great  swell  in  the  lake,  and  in  crossing  these  waves  we  had  the 
satisfaction  to  find  that  our  birchen  vessel  proved  an  excellent  sea 
boat. 

Juli/  7. — This  morning  some  men,  and  their  families,  who iiad 
been  sent  ofl'  to  search  for  Indians,  with  whom  they  intended  to 
pass  the  summer,  returned  to  the  fort  in  consequence  of  a  serious 
accident  having  befallen  their  canoe  in  the  Red  Deer  River :  when 
they  were  in  the  act  of  hauling  up  a  strong  rapid,  the  line  broke, 
the  canoe  was  overturned,  and  two  of  the  party  narrowly  escaped 
drowning;  fortunately  the  women  and  children  happened  taibe on 
shore,  or,  in  all  probability,  they  would  have  perishe(^||h  the 
confusion  of  the  scene.  Nearly  all  their  stores,  their  guns,  and 
fishing  nets,  were  lost,  and  they  could  not  procure  any  other  food 
for  the  last  four  days  than  some  unripe  berries. 

Some  gentlemen  arrived  in  the  evening  with  a  party  of  Chi- 
pewyan  Indians,  from  Hay  River,  a  post  between  the  Peace  Ri*'cr, 
and  the  Great  Slave  Lake.  These  men  gave  distressing  accounts 
of  sickness  among  their  relatives,  and  the  Indians  in  general  alcuji 
the  Peace  River,  and  they  say  many  of  them  have  died,  'i'he 
disease  is  said  to  be  dysentery.     On  the  10th  and  Uth  Ave  had 


i;  ;- 


<% 


% 


OF    THE    I'OI.AR    SF.A. 


M7 


very  sullry  weather,  ami  were  dreail fully  tormented  by  musqui- 
toes.     The  highest  temperatuic  was  l-i"". 

July  13. — This  mornina;  Mr.  Back  and  I  had  the  sincere  gra- 
tification of  welconiing  our  \o\\%  separated  friends,  Ur.  Richard- 
son and  Mr.  Hood,  who  arrived  n  perfect  health  with  two  canoes, 
having  made  a  very  expeditious  journey  from  Cumberland,  not- 
withstanding they  were  detained  near  three  days  in  consequence 
of  the  melancholy  loss  of  one  of  theii  bowmen,  by  the  upsetting  of 
a  canoe  in  a  strong  rapid  ;  but,  as  the  occurrences  of  this  journey, 
together  with  the  mention  of  some  other  circumstances  that  hap- 
pencil  previous  to  their  deD|rture  from  Cumberland,  which  have 
been  extracted  from  Mr.  IlWd's  narrative,  will  appear  in  the  fol- 
lowing chapter,  it  will  be  unnecessary  to  enter  farther  into  these 
points  now. 

The  zeal  and  talent  displayed  by  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood, 
in  the  discharge  of  their  several  duties,  since  my  separation  from 
them;  drew  forth  my  highest  approbation.     Tl.cic  gentlemen  had 
brought  all  the  stores  they  could  procure  from  the  establishments 
at  Cumberland  and  at  Isle  a  la  Crosse ;  and  at  the  latter  place  they 
had  received  ten  bags  of  pemmican  from  the  North-West  Compa- 
ny, which  proved  to  be  mouldy,  and  so  totally  unfit  for  use  that 
it  was  left  at  the  Methye  portage.     They  got  none  from  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  post.     The  voyagers  belonging  to  that  Company,  being 
destitute  of  provisions,  had  eaten  what  was  intended  for  us.     In 
consequence  of  these  untoward  circumstances,  the  canoes  arrived 
with  only  one's  days  supply  of  this  most  essential  article.     The 
prosjiict  of  having  to  commence  our  journey  from  hence,  almost 
destitute  of  provision,  and  scantily  supplied  with  stores,  was  dis- 
tressing to  us,  and  very  discouraging  to  the  men.  It  was  evident, 
however,  that  any  unnecessary  delay  here  would  have  been  very 
imprudent,  as  Fort  Chipewyan  did  not,  at  the  present  time,  furnish 
the  means  of  subsistence  for  so  large  a  party,  much  less  was  there 
a  prospect  of  our  receiving  any  supply  to  carry  with  us.     We, 
therefore,  hastened  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements  for  our 
speedy  departure.     All  the  stores  were  demanded  that  could  pos- 
sibly be  spared  from  both  the  establishments ;  and  we  rejoiced  to 
find,  that  when  this  collection  was  added  to  the  articles  that  had 


'i-    fc 


14a 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


!^   *!' 


11  Hi    I 


M  ' 


$4' 


i   ," 


r    U    1, 


■■:'i 


been  brought  up  by  the  canoes,  that  we  had  a  sufficient  quantity 
of  clothing  for  the  equipment  of  the  men  who  had  been  engaged 
herCj  as  well  as  to  furnish  a  present  to  the  Indians,  besides  some 
few  goods  for  the  winter's  consumption ;  but  we  could  not  pro- 
cure any  ammunition,  which  was  the  most  essential  article,  or 
spirits,  and  but  little  tobacco. 

We  then  made  a  final  arrangement  respecting  the  voyagers, 
who  were  to  accompany  the  party  ;  and,  fortunately,  there  was 
no  difficulty  in  doing  this,  as  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood  hail 
taken  the  very  judicious  precaution  of  bringing  up  ten  men  from 
Cumberland,  who  were  engaged  to  jwoceed  forward  if  their  ser- 
vices were  required.     The  Canadiawf  whom  they  brought,  were 
most  desirous  of  being  continued,  and  we  felt  sincere  pleasure  in 
being  able  to  keep  men  who  were  so  zealous  in  the  cause,  and  who 
had  given  proofs  of  their  activity  on  their  re^cent  passage  to  this 
place,  by  discharging  those  men  who  were  less  willing  to  under- 
take the  journey  ;  of  these  three  were  Englishman,  one  Ameri- 
can, and  three  Canadians.    When  the  numbers  were  completed, 
which  we  had  been  recommended  by  the  traders  to  take  as  a 
protection  against  the  Esquimaux,  we  had  sixteen  Canadian-voy- 
agers, and  our  worthy  and  only  English  attendant  John  Hepburn, 
besides  the  two  interpreters  whom  we  were  to  receive  at  the 
Great  Slave  Lake  ;  we  were  also  accompanied  by  a  Chipewyan 
woman.     An  equipment  of  goods  was  given  to  each  of  the  men 
who  had  been  engaged  at  thio  p;ace,  similar  to  what  had  been  fur- 
nished to  the  others  at  Cumberland ;  and  when  this  distribution 
had  been  made,  the  remainder  were  made  up  into  bales,  prepara- 
tory to  our  departure  on  the  following  day.    We  were  cheerfully 
assisted  in   these  and  all  our  occupations  by  Mr.  Smith,  who 
evinced  an  anxious  desire  to  supply  our  wants  as  far  as  his  means 
permitted. 

Mr.  Hood  having  brought  up  the  dipping  needle  from  Cumber- 
land House,  we  ascertained  the  dip  to  be  85"  23'  42",  and  the 
difference  produced  by  reversing  the  face  of  the  instrument  was 
go  2'  10".  The  intensity  of  thfe  magnetic  force  was  also  observ- 
ed. Several  observations  had  been  procured  on  both  sides  of  the 
moon  during   our  residence  at  Fort  Chipewyan,  the  result  of 


''■■■i  ■.'■'1 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


149 


which  gave  for  its  longitude  111°  18'  20"  W.,  its  latitude  was  ob- 
served to  be  18"  42'  38"  N.,  and  the  variation  of  the  compass  22° 
49'  33"  E.  Fresh  rates  were  procured  for  the  chronometers  and 
their  errors  determined  for  Greenwich  time,  by  which  the  sur- 
vey to  the  northward  was  carried  on. 


♦ 


150 


*.  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORKS 


:-i'"'b,V'!; 


If  ^  .  y^ 


■^  i*!   ft: 


I'l:  ■  '* 


|||;; 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Mr.  Hood's  Journey  to  tlie  Basquiau  Ilill — Sojourns  with  an  Indian  Party—- 

His  Journey  to  Chipewyan. 

March.  -DEING  desirous  of  obtaimng  a  drawing  of  a  moose 
deer,  and  also  of  making  some  observations  on  the  height  of  the 
Aurora,  I  set  out  on  the  23d,  to  pass  a  few  days  at  the  Basquiau 
Hill.     Two  men  accompanied  me,  with  dogs  and  sledges,  who 
were  going  to  the  hill  for  meat.     We  found  the  Saskatchawan 
open,  and  were  obliged  to  follow  it  several  miles  to  the  eastward. 
We  did  not,  then,  cross  it  without  wading  in  water,  which  had 
overflowed  the  ice  ;  and  our  snow  shoes  were  encumbered  with 
a  heavy  weight  for  the  remainder  of  the  cay.      On  the  south 
bank  of  the   Saskatchawan  were    some  poplars    ten    or  tvvelve 
feet  in  circumference  at  the  root.     Beyond  the  river,  we  travers- 
ed an  extensive  swamp,  bounded  by  woods.     In  the  evening  we 
crossed  the  Swan  Lake,  about  six  miles  in  breadth,  and  eight  in 
length,  and  halted  on  its  south  side  for  the  night,  twenty-four 
miles  S.S.W.  of  Cumberland  House. 

At  four  in  the  morning  of  the  24th  we  continued  the  journey, 
and  crossed  some  creeks  in  the  woods,  and  another  large  swamp. 
These  swamps  are  covered  with  water  in  summer,  to  the  depth 
of  several  feet,  which  arises  from  the  melted  snow  from  the 
higher  grounds.  The  tracks  of  foxes,  wolves,  wolverenes,  and 
martens,  were  very  numerous.  The  people,  employed  in  carry- 
ing meat,  set  traps  on  their  way  out,  and  take  possession  of 
their  captures  at  their  return,  for  which  they  receive  a  sum  from 
the  Company,  pioportioned  to  the  value  of  the  fur. 

In  the  evening  we  crossed  the  Goose  I  die,  which  is  a  little 
longer  than  Swan  Lake,  and  afterwards  the  River  Sepanach,  a 
branch  of  the  Saskatchawan,  forming  an  island  extending  thirty 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


lol 


miles  above,  and  forty  below  Cumberland  House.  We  turned 
tc  ii.^  -"jstward  on  the  Root  River,  which  enters  the  Sepanacb, 
and  halted  on  its  banks,  having  made  in  direct  distance  not  more 
than  twenty  miles  since  the  23d. 

We  passed  the  Shoal  Lake  on  the  25th,  and  then  marched 
twelve  miles  through  woods  and  swamps  to  a  hunting  tent  of  the 
Indians.  It  was  situated  in  a  grove  of  large  poplars,  and  would 
have  been  no  very  unpleasant  residence  if  we  could  have  avoid- 
ed the  smoke.  A  heavy  gale  from  the  westward,  with  snow, 
confined  us  for  several  days  to  this  tent.  On  the  30th  two  In- 
dians arrived,  one  of  whom  named  the  Warrior,  was  well  known 
at  the  house.  We  endeavoured  to  prevail  upon  them  to  set  out  in 
quest  of  moose,  which  they  agreed  to  do,  on  receiving  some  rum. 
Promises  were  of  no  avail ;  the  smallest  gratification  is  preferred 
to  the  certainty  of  ample  reward  at  another  period  ;  an  unfailing 
indication  of  strong  animal  passions,  and  a  weak  understanding. 
On  complying  with  their  demand  they  departed. 

Tiie  next  day  I'went  to  the  Warrior's  tent,  distant  about  eleven 
miles.  The  country  was  materially  changed  :  the  pine  had  dis- 
appeared, and  gentle  slopes,  with  clumps  of  large  poplars,  form- 
ed some  pleasing  groups ;  willows  were  scattered  over  the  swamps. 
When  I  entered  the  tent,  the  Indians  spread  a  buffalo  robe  before 
the  fire,  and  desired  me  to  sit  down.  Some  were  eating,  others 
sleeping,  many  of  them  without  any  covering  except  the  breach 
cloth  and  a  blanket  over  the  shoulders ;  a  state  in  which  they 
love  to  indulge  themselves  till  hunger  drives  them  forth  to  the 
chase.  Besides  the  Warrior's  family,  there  was  that  of  another 
hunter  named  Long-legs,  whose  bad  success  in  hunting,  had  re- 
duced him  to  the  necessity  of  feeding  on  moose  leather  for  three 
weeks,  when  he  was  compassionately  relieved  by  the  Warrior.  1 
was  an  unwilling  witness  of  the  preparation  of  my  dinner  by  the; 
Indian  women.  Tliey  cut  into  pieces  a  portion  of  fat  meat,  using 
for  that  purpose  a  knife  and  their  teeth.  It  was  boiled  in  a  ket- 
tle, and  served  in  a  platter  made  of  birch  bark,  from  whuli, 
being  dirty,  they  had  peeled  the  surfiice.  liuwevcr,  the  flavour 
of  good  moose  meat  will  survive  any  process  thai  it  undergoes  in 
tjuir  hands,  except  smokiiii^. 


■  I'n^ 


% 


'Mm^i 


3f ''JL 


■^»^ 


*• 


f''.a 


';  ■«  ■• ! 


152 


JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


Having  provided  myself  with  some  drawing  materials,  1  amus- 
ed the  Indians  with  a  sketch  of  the  interior  of  the  tent  and  its 
inhabitants.  An  old  woman,  who  was  relating  with  great  volu- 
bility an  account  of  some  quarrel  with  the  traders  at  Cumberland 
House,  broke  off  from  her  narration  when  she  perceived  my  design ; 
supposing,  perhaps,  that  I  was  employing  some  charm  against 
her ;  for  the  Indians  have  been  taught  a  supernatural  dread  ol 
particular  pictures.  One  of  the  young  men  drew,  with  a  piece  of 
charcoal,  a  figure  resembling  a  frog,  on  the  side  of  the  tent,  and 
by  significantly  pointing  at  me,  excited  peals  of  merriment  from 
his  companions.  The  caricature  was  comic ;  but  I  soon  fixed 
their  attention,  by  producing  my  pocket  compass,  and  affecting  it 
with  a  knife.  They  have  great  curiosity,  which  might  easily  be 
directed  to  the  attainment  of  useful  knowledge.  As  the  dirt  ac- 
cumulated about  these  people  was  visibly  of  a  communicative 
nature,  I  removed  at  night  into  the  open  air,  where  the  thermo- 
meter fell  to  15°  below  zero,  although  it  was  Jie  next  day  60° 
above  it. 

In  the  morning  the  Warrior  and  his  companion  arrived;  I 
found  that,  instead  of  hunting,  they  had  passed  the  whole  time  io 
a  drunken  fit,  at  a  short  distance  from  the  tent.  In  reply  to  our 
angry  questions,  the  Warrior  held  out  an  empty  vessel,  as  if  to 
demand  the  payment  of  a  debt,  before  he  entered  into  any  new 
ncgociation.  Not  being  inclined  to  starve  his  family,  we  set  out 
for  another  Indian  tent,  ten  miles  to  the  southward,  but  we  found 
only  the  frame,  or  tent  poles  standing,  when  we  reached  the  spot. 
The  men,  by  digging  where  the  fire-place  had  been,  ascertained 
that  the  Indians  had  quitted  it  the  day  before ;  and  as  their  marches 
arc  short,  when  encumbered  with  the  women  and  baggage,  we 
sought  out  their  track,  and  followed  it.  At  an  abrupt  angle  of  it, 
which  was  obscured  by  trees,  the  men  suddenly  disappeared  ;  and, 
hastening  forward  to  discover  the  cause,  I  perceived  them  both 
still  rolling  at  the  foot  of  a  steep  cliff,  over  v,i)ich  they  had  been 
dragged,  while  endeavouring  to  stop  tiie  descent  of  their  sledges. 
The  dogs  were  gazing  silently,  with  the  wreck  of  their  harness 
about  then),  :ind  the  sfledges  deeply  buried  in  the  snow.     The 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


I5i 


effects  of  this  accident  did  not  detain  us  long,  and  we  proceeded 
afterwards  with  greater  caution. 

The  air  was  warm  at  noon,  and  the  solitary  but  sweet  notes  of 
the  jay,  the  earliest  spring  bird,  were  in  every  wood.  Late  in 
the  evening  we  descried  the  ravens  wheeling  in  circles  round  a 
small  grove  of  poplars,  and,  according  to  our  expectations,  found 
the  Indians  encamped  there.  The  men  were  absent  hu  Uing,  and 
returned  unsuccessful.  They  had  been  several  days  without  pro- 
visions, and  thinking  that  I  could  depend  upon  the  continuance 
of  their  exertions,  I  gave  them  a  little  rum  ;  the  next  day  they 
set  out,  and  at  midnight  they  swept  by  us  with  their  dogs  in  close 
pursuit. 

In  the  morning  we  found  that  a  moose  had  eaten  the  bark  of  a 
tree  near  our  fire.  The  hunters,  however,  again  failed  ;  and  they 
attributed  the  extreme  difficulty  of  approaching  the  chase,  to  the 
calmness  of  the  weather,  which  enabled  it  to  hear  them  at  a  great 
distance.  •?         '        " 

They  concluded,  as  usual,  when  labouring  under  any  affliction, 
that  they  were  tormented  by  the  evil  spirit ;  and  assembled  to 
beat  a  large  tambourine,  and  sing  an  address  to  the  rnanito,  or 
deity,  praying  for  relief,  according  to  the  explanation  which  I  re- 
ceived :  but  their  prayer  consisted  of  only  three  words,  constantly 
repeated.  One  of  the  hunters  yet  remained  abroad ;  and  as  the 
wind  rose  at  noon,  we  had  hopes  that  he  was  successful.  In  the 
evening  he  made  his  appearance,  and  announcing  that  he  had 
killed  a  large  moose,  immediately  secured  the  reward  which  had 
been  promised. 

The  tidings  were  received  with  apparent  indifference,  by 
people  whose  lives  are  alternate  changes  from  the  extremity  of 
want  to  abundance.  But  as  their  countenances  seldom  betray 
their  emotions,  it  cannot  be  determined  whether  their  apathy  is 
real  or  affected.  However,  the  women  prepared  their  sledges 
and  dogs,  with  the  ilesign  of  dismembering,  and  bringing  home, 
the  carcass  ;  a  proceeding  to  which,  in  their  necessitous  conditions 
I  could  have  had  neither  reasonable  nor  available  objections,  with- 
out giving  them  a  substitute.  By  much  solicitation  I  obtained  an 
iiidience,  and  offered  them  our  own  provisions,  on  condition  of 

V 


154 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


1'    •  J:-'? 


^1  -l> 


Iheir  suspending  the  work  of  destruction  till  the  next  day.  They 
agreed  to  the  proposition,  and  we  set  out  with  some  Indians  for 
the  place  where  the  animal  was  lying.  The  night  advancing,  we 
were  separated  by  a  snow-storm,  and  not  being  skilful  enough  to 
follow  tracks  which  were  so  speedily  filled  up,  I  was  bewildered 
for  several  hours  in  the  woods,  when  I  met  with  an  Indian,  who 
led  me  back  at  such  a  pace  that  I  was  always  in  the  rear,  to  his 
infinite  diversion.  The  Indians  are  vain  of  their  local  knowledge, 
which  is  certainly  very  wonderful.  Our  companions  had  taken 
out  the  entrails  and  young  of  the  moose,  which  they  buried  in 
the  snow. 

The  Indians  then  returned  to  the  tents,  and  one  of  my  men  ac- 
companied them ;  he  was  the  person  charged  with  the  manage- 
ment of  the  trade  at  the  hunting  tent ;  and  he  observed,  that  the 
opportunity  of  making  a  bargain  with  the  Indians,  while  they  were 
drinking,  was  too  advantageous  to  be  los.. 

It  remained  for  us  to  prevent  the  wolves  from  mangling  the 
moose;  for  which  purpose  we  wrapped  ourselves  in  blankets  be- 
tween its  feet,  and  placed  the  hatchets  within  our  reach.  The 
night  was  stormy,  and  apprehension  kept  me  long  awake ;  but 
finding  my  companion  in  so  deep  a  sleep,  that  nothing  could  have 
roused  him,  except  the  actual  gripe  of  a  wolf,  I  thought  it  ad- 
visable to  imitate  his  example,  as  much  as  was  in  my  power, 
rather  than  bear  the  burthen  of  anxiety  alone.  At  daylight  we 
shook  off  the  snow,  which  was  heaped  upon  us,  and  endeavoured 
to  kindle  a  fire ;  but  the  violence  of  the  storm  defeated  all  our  at- 
tempts. At  length  two  Indians  arrived,  with  whose  assistance  \vc 
succeeded,  and  they  took  possession  of  it,  to  show  their  sense  of 
our  obligations  to  them.  We  were  ashamed  of  the  scene  before 
us ;  the  entrails  of  the  moose  and  its  young,  which  had  been  buried 
at  our  feet,  bore  testimony  to  the  nocturnal  revel  of  the  wolves, 
during  the  time  we  had  slept.  This  was  a  fresh  subject  of  deri- 
jsion  for  the  Indians,  whose  appetites,  however,  would  not  suffer 
ihem  to  waste  long  upon  us  a  time  so  precious.  They  soon  finish- 
ed what  the  wolves  had  begun,  and  with  as  little  aid  from  the  art 
of  cookery,  eating  both  the  young  moose,  and  the  contents  of  thi> 
paunoh,  raw. 


4v|pi(ii 


■■» 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


15i 


I  had  scarcely  secured  myself  by  a  lodge  of  branches  from  the 
snow,  and  placed  the  moose  in  a  position  for  my  sketch,  when  we 
were  stormed  by  a  troop  of  women  and  children,  with  their  sledges 
and  dogs.  We  obtained  another  short  respite  from  the  Indians, 
but  our  blows  could  not  drive,  nor  their  caresses  entice,  the  hungry 
dogs  from  the  tempting  feast  before  them. 

I  had  not  finished  my  sketch,  before  the  ii  patient  crowd  tore 
the  moose  to  pieces,  and  loaded  their  sledges  with  meat.  On  our 
way  to  the  tent,  a  black  wolf  rushed  out  upon  an  Indian,  who  hap- 
pened to  pass  near  its  den.  li  was  shot ;  and  the  Indians  carried 
away  three  black  whelps,  to  improve  the  breed  of  their  dogs.  1 
purchased  one  of  them,  intending  to  send  it  to  England,  but  it 
perished  for  want  of  proper  nourishment. 

The  latitude  of  these  tents  was  53°  12'  46"  N.,  and  longitude. 
by  chronometers  103°  13'  10"  W.  On  the  5th  of  April  we  set 
out  for  the  hunting  tent  by  our  former  track,  and  arrived  there  in 
the  evening. 

As  the  increasing  warmth  of  the  weather  had  threatened  to  in- 
terrupt coinmunication  by  removing  the  ice,  orders  had  been  sent 
from  Cumberland  House  to  the  people  at  the  tent,  to  quit  it  with- 
out delay ;  which  we  did  on  the  7th.  Some  altitudes  of  the 
Aurora  were  obtained,  the  results  of  which  will  be  noticed  else- 
where. 

We  had  a  fine  view,  at  sunrise,  of  the  Basquiau  Hill,  skirting 
half  the  horizon  with  its  white  sides,  chequered  by  forests  of  pine. 
It  is  seen  from  Pine  Island  Lake,  at  the  distance  of  fifty  miles  ; 
and  cannot,  therefore,  be  less  than  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  per- 
pendicular height ;  probably  the  greatest  elevation  between  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  and  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

A  small  stream  runs  near  the  hunting  tent,  strongly  impregnat- 
ed with  salt.  There  are  several  salt  springs  about  it,  which  are 
not  frozen  during  the  winter. 

The  surface  of  the  snow,  thawing  in  the  sun,  and  freeiilng  at 
night,  had  become  a  strong  crust,  which  sometimes  gave  way  in 
a  circle  round  our  feet,  immerging  us  in  the  soft  snow  beneath. 
The  people  were  afflicted  with  snow  blindness ;  a  kind  of  oplv 


.  1 
.1    i« 


i  li 


*-'*l 


■M^/ 


156 


A    JOURNEY    TO   THE    SHORES 


Sal      •■  '  '•!    ' 


* 


;ii. 
'■i''-'^'. 


thalmia,  occasioned  by  the  reflection  of  the  sun's  rays  in  the 
spring. 

The  miseries  endured  during  the  first  journey  of  this  nature, 
are  so  peat,  that  nothing;;  could  induce  the  sufferer  to  undertake 
a  second,  while  under  the  influence  of  present  pain.  He  feels  his 
fraiTie  crushed  by  unaccountable  pressure,  he  drags  a  galling;  and 
stubborn  weight  at  his  leet,  and  his  track  is  marked  with  blood. 
The  dazzling  scene  around  him  affords  no  rest  to  his  eye,  no  ob- 
ject to  divert  his  attention  from  his  own  agonizing  sensations. 
When  he  rises  from  sleep,  half  his  body  seems  dead,  till  quick- 
ened into  feeling  by  the  irritation  of  his  sores.  But,  fortunately 
for  him,  no  evil  makes  an  impression  so  evanescent  as  pain.  It 
cannot  be  wholly  banished,  nor  recalled  with  the  force  of  reality, 
by  any  act.  of  the  mind,  either  to  affect  our  determinations,  or  to 
sympathize  with  another.  The  traveller  soon  forgets  his  suffer- 
ings, and  at  every  future  journey,  their  recurrence  is  attended  with 
diminished  acuteness. 

It  was  not  before  the  10th  or  12th  of  April,  that  the  return  of 
the  swans,  geese,  and  ducks,  gave  certain  indications  of  the  ad- 
vance of  spring.  The  juice  of  the  maple  tree  began  to  flow,  and 
the  women  repaired  to  the  woods  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  it. 
This  tree,  which  abounds  to  the  southward,  is  not,  I  believe,  found 
to  the  northward  of  the  Saskatchawan.  The  Indians  obtain  the 
sap  by  making  incisions  into  the  tree.  They  boil  it  down,  and 
evaporate  the  water,  skimming  off*  the  impurities.  They  are  so 
fond  of  sweets,  that  after  this  simple  process,  they  set  an  extrava- 
gant price  upon  it. 

On  the  15th  fell  the  first  shower  of  rain  we  had  seen  for  six 
months,  and  on  the  17th  the  thermometer  ro.se  to  77°  in  the  shade. 
The  whole  face  of  the  country  was  deluged  by  the  melted  snow. 
All  the  nameless  heaps  of  dirt,  accumulated  in  the  winter,  now 
floated  over  the  very  thresholds,  and  the  long-imprisoned  scents 
dilated  into  vapours  so  penetrating,  that  no  retreat  was  any  security 
from. them.  The  flood  descended  into  the  cellar  below  our  house, 
and  destroyed  a  quantity  of  powder  and  tea ;  a  loss  irreparable  in 
our  situation. 


OF   THE    POLAR    SEA. 


157 


The  noise  made  by  the  frogs  which  tliis  inundation  produced, 
is  almost  incredible.  There  is  strong  reason  to  believe  that  they 
outlive  the  severity  of  winter.  They  have  often  been  found  frozen 
and  revived  by  warmth,  nor  is  it  possible  that  the  multitude  which 
incessantly  filled  our  ears  with  its  discordant  notes  could  have  been 
matured  in  two  or  three  days. 

The  fishermen  at  Beaver  Lake,  and  the  other  detached  parties 
were  ordered  to  return  to  the  post.  The  expedients  to  which  the 
poor  people  were  reduced,  to  cross  a  country  so  beset  with  waters, 
presented  many  uncouth  spectacles.  The  inexperienced  were  glad 
to  compromise,  with  the  loss  of  property,  for  the  safety  of  their 
persons,  and  astride  upon  ill-balanced  rafts  with  which  they  strug- 
gled to  be  uppermost,  exhibited  a  ludicrous  picture  of  distress. 
Happy  were  those  who  could  patch  up  an  old  canoe,  though 
obliged  to  bear  it  half  the  way  on  their  shoulders,  through  miry 
bogs  and  interwoven  willows.  But  the  veteran  trader,  wedged 
in  a  box  of  skin,  with  his  wife,  children,  dogs,  and  furs,  wheeled 
triumphantly  through  the  current,  and  deposited  his  heterogeneous 
cargo  safely  on  the  shore.  The  woods  re-echoed  with  the  return  , . 
of  their  exiled  tenants.  An  hundred  tribes  as  gaily  dressed  as 
any  burnished  natives  of  the  south,  greeted  our  eyes  in  our  ac- 
customed walks,  and  their  voices,  though  unmusical,  were  the 
sweetest  that  ever  saluted  our  ears. 

From  the  19th  to  the  26th  the  snow  once  more  blighted  the 
resuscitating  verdure,  but  a  single  day  was  sufficient  to  remove  it. 
On  the  2Sth  the  Saskatchawan  swept  away  the  ice  which  had  ad- 
hered to  its  banks,  and  the  next  day  a  boat  came  down  from  Carl- 
ton House  with  provisions.  We  received  such  accounts  of  the 
state  of  vegetation  at  that  place,  that  Dr.  Richardson  determined 
to  visit  it,  in  order  to  collect  botanical  specimens,  as  the  period 
at  which  the  ice  was  expected  to  admit  of  the  continuation  of 
our  jouiiey  was  still  distant.  Accordingly  he  embarked  on  the 
1st  of  May. 

In  the  course  of  the  month  the  ice  gradually  wore  away  from 
the  south  side  of  the  lake,  but  the  great  mass  of  it  still  hung  to  the 
north  side  with  some  snow  visible  on  its  surface.  By  the  31st 
the  elevated  grounds  were  perfectly  dry,  and  teeming  with  the 


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15S 


\ JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


iVagrant  oflspring  of  the  season.  Wlien  the  snow  melted,  the 
earth  was  covered  with  the  fallen  loaves  of  the  last  year,  and  al- 
ready it  was  green  with  the  strawberry  plant,  and  the  burstiri"' 
buds  of  the  gooseberry,  raspberry,  and  rose  bushes,  soon  variegat- 
ed by  the  rose  and  the  blossoms  cf  the  choke  cherry.  The  gifts 
of  nature  are  disregarded  and  undervalued  till  they  are  withdrawn 
and  in  the  hideous  regions  of  the  Arctic  Zone,  she  would  make  a 
convert  of  him  for  whom  the  gardens  of  Europe  had  no  charms, 
or  the  mild  beauties  of  a  southern  clime  had  bloomed  in  vain. 

Mr.  Williams  found  a  delightful  occupation  in  his  agricultural 
j)ursuits.  The  horses  were  brought  to  the  plough,  and  fields  of 
wheat,  barley,  and  Indian  corn,  promised  to  reward  his  labours. 
His  dairy  furnished  us  with  all  the  luxuries  of  an  English  farm. 

On  the  25th  the  ice  departed  from  Pine  Island  Lake.  We 
were,  however,  informed  that  Beaver  Lake,  which  was  likewise 
in  our  route,  would  not  afford  a  passage  before  the  4th  of  June. 
According  to  directions  left  by  M  Franklin,  applications  were 
made  to  the  Chiefs  of  the  Hudson's  ^ay  and  the  North- West  Com- 
panies' posts,  for  two  canoes,  with  their  crews,  and  a  supply  of 
stores,  for  the  use  of  the  Expedition.  They  were  not  in  a  condi- 
tion to  comply  with  this  request  till  the  arrival  of  their  respective 
returns  from  Isle  a  la  Crosse  and  the  Saskatchawan  departments. 
Of  the  six  men  whom  we  brought  from  England,  the  most  ser- 
viceable, John  Hepburn,  had  accompanied  Mr.  Franklin,  and  only 
one  other  desired  to  prosecute  the  journey  with  us.  Mr.  Franklin 
had  made  arrangements  with  Mr.  Williams  for  the  employment 
of  the  remaining  five  men  in  bringing  to  Cumberland  House  the 
ammunition,  tobacco,  &c.  left  at  York  Fort,  which  stores  were,  if 
possible,  to  be  sent  after  us  in  the  summer.  On  the  30th  Dr. 
Richardson  returned  from  Carlton  House,  and  on  the  31st  the 
boats  arrived  belonging  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  Saskat- 
chawan department.  We  obtained  a  canoe  and  two  more  volun- 
teers. On  the  1st  of  June  the  Saskatchawan,  swelled  by  the 
melting  of  the  snow  near  the  rocky  mountains,  rose  twelve  feet, 
and  the  current  of  the  little  rivers  bounding  Pine  Island  ran  back 
into  the  lake,  which  it  filled  with  mud. 

On  the  5th  the  North- West  Company's  people  arrived,  and  Mr. 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


159 


(Jonolly  furnished  us  with  a  canoe  and  five  Canadians.  They 
were  enj^agcd  to  attend  us  till  Mr.  Franklin  should  think  fit  to 
discharge  them,  and  bound  under  the  usual  penalties  in  case  of 
disobedience,  or  other  improper  conduct.  These  poor  people  en- 
tertained such  dread  of  a  ship  of  war,  that  they  stipulated  not  to 
be  embarked  in  Lieutenant  Parry's  vessels,  if  we  should  find 
them  on  the  coast ;  a  condition  with  which  they  would  gladly 
have  dispensed,  had  that  desirable  event  taken  place.  As  we  re- 
quired a  Canadian  foreman  and  steersman  for  the  other  canoe,  we 
were  compelled  to  wait  for  the  appearance  of  the  Isle  a  la  Crosse 
canoes  under  Mr.  Clark. 

On  the  8th  Mr.  Williams  embarked  for  York  Fort,  He  gave 
us  a  circular  letter  addressed  to  the  Chiefs  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company's  posts,  directing  them  to  aflbrd  us  all  possible  assist- 
ance on  our  route,  and  he  promised  to  exert  every  endeavour  to 
forward  the  Esquimaux  interpreter,  upon  whom  the  success  of 
our  journey  so  much  depended.  He  was  accompanied  by  eight 
boats.  With  him  we  sent  our  colleciions  of  plants,  minerals, 
charts,  and  drawings,  to  be  transmitted  to  England  by  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  shijjs.  After  this  period,  our  detention,  though  short, 
cost  us  more  vexation  than  the  whole  time  we  had  passed  at  Cum- 
berland House,  because  every  hour  of  the  short  summer  was  in- 
valuable to  us.  On  the  11th  Mr.  Clark  arrived,  and  completed 
our  crews.  He  brought  letteis  from  Mr.  Franklin,  dated  March 
o'Slh,  at  Fort  Chipcwyan,  where  he  was  engaged  procuring  hun- 
ters and  interpreters.  A  heavy  storm  of  wind  and  rain  from  the 
north-east  again  delayed  us  till  the  morning  of  the  1 3ih.  The  account 
we  had  received  at  York  Factory  of  the  numerous  stoies  at  Cum- 
!)erland  House  proved  to  be  very  erroneous.  The  most  material 
stores  we  received  did  not  amount,  in  addition  to  our  own,  to 
more  than  two  barrels  of  powder,  a  keg  of  spirits,  and  two  pieces 
of  tobacco,  with  pemmican  for  sixteen  days. 

The  crew  of  Dr.  Richardson's  canoe  consisted  of  three  English- 
iucn  and  three  Canadians,  and  the  other  carried  live  Canadians; 
both  were  deeply  laden,  and  the  waves  ran  high  on  the  lake.  No 
person  in  our  party  being  well  acquainted  with  the  rivers  to  the 
northward,  Mr.  ConoUy  gave  us  a  pilot,  on  condition  that  wp 


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160 


A   JOURNEY   TO  TH  K  SHORES 


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should  exchange  him  when  we  met  with  the  Athabasca  brigade 
of  canoes.     At  four  A.M.  we  embarked. 

We  soon  found  that  birchen-bark  canoes  were  not  calculated 
to  brave  rough  weather  on  a  large  lake,  for  we  were  compelled  to 
land  on  the  opposite  border,  to  free  them  from  the  water  which 
had  already  saturated  their  cargoes.  The  wind  became  more  mo- 
derate, and  we  were  enabled,  after  traversing  a  chain  of  smaller 
lakes,  to  enter  the  mouth  of  the  Sturgeon  River,  at  sunset,  where 
we  encamped. 

The  lading  of  the  canoes  is  always,  if  possible,  carried  on  shore 
at  night,  and  the  canoes  taken  out  of  the  water.  The  following 
evening  we  reached  Beaver  Lake,  and  landed  to  repair  some  da- 
mages sustained  by  the  canoes.  A  round  stone  will  displace  the 
lading  of  a  canoe,  without  doing  any  injury,  but  a  slight  blow 
agaiiist  a  sharp  corner  penetrates  the  bark.  For  the  purpose  of 
repairing  it,  a  small  quantity  of  gum  or  pilch,  bark  and  pine  roots 
are  embarked,  and  the  business  is  so  expeditiously  performed,  that 
the  speed  of  the  canoe  amply  compensates  for  every  delay.  The 
Sturgeon  River  is  justly  called  by  the  Canadians  La  Riviere  Ma- 
ligne,  from  its  numerous  and  dangerous  rapids.  Against  the 
strength  of  a  rapid  it  is  impossible  to  effect  any  progress  by  pad- 
dling, and  the  canoes  are  tracked,  or  if  the  bank  will  not  admit 
of  it,  propelled  with  poles,  in  the  management  of  which  the  Ca- 
nadians shew  great  dexterity.  Their  simultaneous  motions  were 
strongly  contrasted  with  the  awkward  confusion  of  the  inexpe- 
rienced Englishmen,  deafened  by  the  torrent,  who  sustained  the 
blame  of  every  accident  which  occurred. 

At  sunset  we  encamped  on  an  island  in  Beaver  Lake,  and  at 
four  A.M.,  the  next  morning,  passed  the  first  portage  in  the  Ridge 
River.  Beaver  Lake  is  twelve  miles  in  length,  and  six  in  breadth. 
The  flat  limestone  country  rises  into  bold  rocks  on  its  banks,  and 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Ridge  River,  the  limestone  discontinues.  The 
lake  is  very  deep,  and  has  already  been  noticed  for  the  number 
and  excellence  of  its  fish.  The  Ridge  River  is  rapid  and  shallow. 
We  had  emeiged  from  the  muddy  channels  through  an  alluvial 
soil,  and  the  primitive  rocks  interrupted  our  way  with  frequent 
])ortages,  through  the  whole  route  to  Isle  a  la  Crosse  Lake.    At 


OF  THE  POLAR  iil!:A. 


161 


I'ial 
ent 
At 


two  P.M.  we  psased  tlic  mouth  of  the  Hay  River,  running  from 
the  westward ;  and  the  ridge  above  its  confluence  takes  the  name 
of  the  Great  River,  which  rises  at  the  height  of  land  called  the 
Frog  Portage. 

The  thermometer  was  this  day  100°  in  the  sun,  and  the  heat 
was  extremely  oppressive,  from  our  constant  exposure  to  it.  We 
crossed  three  portages  in  the  Great  River,  and  encamped  at  the 
last ;  here  we  met  the  director  of  the  North- West  Company's  af. 
fairs  in  the  north,  Mr.  Stuart,  on  his  way  to  Fort  William,  in  a 
light  canoe.  He  had  left  the  Athabasca  Lake  only  thirteen  days, 
and  brought  letters  from  Mr.  Franklin,  who  desired  that  we  would 
endeavour  to  collect  stores  of  every  kind  at  Isle  ^  la  Crosse,  and 
added  a  favourable  account  of  the  country,  to  the  northward  of  the 
Slave  Lake. 

On  the  16th,  at  three  A.M.,  we  continued  our  course,  the  river 
increasing  to  the  breadth  of  half  a  mile,  with  many  rapids  between 
the  rocky  islands.  The  banks  were  luxuriantly  clothed  with 
pines,  poplars,  and  birch  trees,  of  the  largest  size ;  but  the  dif- 
ferent shades  of  green  were  undistinguishable  at  a  distance,  and 
the  glow  of  autumnal  colours  was  wanting  to  render  the  variety 
beautiful. 

Having  crossed  two  portages  ai  the  different  extremities  of  the 
Island  Lake,  we  ran  through  two  exicns've  sheets  of  water  under 
sail,  called  the  Heron  and  Pelican  Lakes ;  the  former  of  which  is 
fifteen  miles  in  length,  and  the  latter  five ;  but  its  extent  to  the 
southward  has  not  been  explored.  An  intricate  channel,  with 
four  small  portages,  conducted  us  to  the  Woody  Lake.  Its  bor- 
ders were,  indeed,  walls  of  pines,  hiding  the  face  of  steep  and 
high  rocks;  and  w^e  wandered  in  search  of  a  landing-place  till  ten 
P.M.  when  we  were  forced  to  take  shelter  from  an  impending 
storm,  on  a  small  island,  where  we  wedged  ourselves  between 
the  trees.  But  though  we  secured  the  canoes,  we  incurred  a  per- 
sonal evil  of  much  greater  magnitude,  in  the  torments  inflicted  by 
the  mtisquitoes,  a  plague  which  had  grown  upon  us  since  our  depar- 
ture from  Cumberland  House,  and  which  infested  us  during  the 
whole  summer ;  we  found  no  relief  from  their  attacks  by  exposing 
ourselves  to  the  utmost  violence  of  the  wind  and  rain.    Our  last 


'■'*m 


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162 


A    .rOL'RNLY    TO    THE    SHORtb 


1         ( 


resource  was  to  plunge  ourselves  in  the  water,  and  from  this  uti 
comfortable  situation  we  gladly  escaped  at  daylight,  and  hoistcil 
our  sails. 

The  Woody  Lake  is  thirteen  miles  in  length,  and  a  small  grassy 
channel  at  its  north-western  extremity,  leads  to  the  Frog  Portaijc'. 
the  source  of  the  waters  descending  by  Beaver  Lake  to  the  Sas- 
liatchawan.  The  distance  to  the  Missinnippi,  or  Churchill  Rivei'. 
is  only  three  hundred  and  eighty  yards ;  and  as  its  course  crosses 
the  height  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  direction  of  the  Great 
River,  it  would  be  superfluous  to  compute  the  elevation  at  thia 
place.  The  portage  is  in  latitude  55°  26'  0"  N.,  and  longitude 
103°  34'  50"  W.  Its  name,  according  to  Sir  Alexander  JNIackoii- 
zie,  is  derived  from  the  Crces  having  left  suspended  a  stretched 
frog's  skin,  in  derision  of  the  Noithern  Indian  mode  of  dressin}^ 
the  heaver. 

The  part  of  the  Missinnippi,  in  which  we  embarked,  we  should. 
have  mistaken  for  a  lake,  had  it  not  been  for  the  rapidity  of  the 
current  against  which  we  made  our  way.  At  four  P.M.  we  passed 
a  Icrjg  portage,  occasioned  by  a  ledge  of  rocks,  three  hundred  yards 
in  length,  over  which  the  river  falls  seven  or  eight  feet.  Aflei 
crossing  another  portage  we  encamped. 

On  the  ISlh  \^'e  had  rain,  wind,  and  thunder,  the  whole  day ; 
but  this  weather  was  much  prcferabh  to  the  heat  we  had  borne 
hitherto.  We  passed  tUrce  portages,  and,  at  six  P.M.,  encamped 
on  the  north  bank.  Below  the  third  portage  is  the  mouth  oi 
Rapid  River,  flowing  from  a  large  lake  to  the  southward,  on  which 
a  post  was  formerlv  maintained  by  the  North- West  Company, 
Next  morning  we  found  ourselves  involved  in  a  confused  mass  of 
islands,  through  the  openings  of  which  we  could  not  discern  the 
shore.  The  guide's  knowledge  of  the  river  did  not  extend  be- 
yond the  last  portage,  and  our  perplexity  continued,  till  we  ob- 
served some  foam  floating  on  the  water,  and  took  the  direction 
from  which  it  came.  The  noise  of  a  heavy  fall,  at  the  Mountain 
Portage,  reached  our  ears,  at  the  distance  of  four  miles,  aid  we 
arrived  there  at  eight  A.M.  The  portage  was  a  difficult  ascent 
over  a  rocky  island,  between  which  and  the  main  shore  were  two 
cataracts^  and  a  third  in  sight  above  them,  making  another  port- 


i<  < 


OF   THE   POLAR    SEA. 


163 


age.  We  surprised  a  large  brown  bear,  which  iiiimediately  re- 
rrealed  into  the  woods.  To  the  no<hward  ct'  tho  hscond  porta<i;.?3 
we  again  found  the  channels  intricate,  but  the  shores  being  some- 
times vi  iibJe  we  ventured  to  proceed.  The  character  of  the 
country  was  new,  and  more  interesting  t)ian  before.  The  moun- 
tainous and  strong  elevations  receiled  from  the  banks,  and  the 
woofJs  crept  through  tlieir  breaches  to  the  valleys  behind  ;  the 
;(tlvcnturous  pine  alone  ascending  their  bases,  and  braving  storms 
iinfelt  below.         .•         ■'•       '■  <  ■ 

At  noon,  we  landed  at  the  Otter  Portage,  where  the  river  ran 
with  great  velocity  for  half  a  mile,  amor.ir  large  stones.  Having 
curied  across  the  principal  j)art  of  the  cargo,  the  people  attempt- 
;d  to  track  the  canoes  along  the  edge  of  the  rapid.  With  the  first 
ihey  succeeded,  but  the  other,  in  which  were  the  foreman  and 
steersman,  was  overset-  and  swept  away  by  the  current.  An  ac- 
count of  this  misfortune  was  speedily  conveyed  to  the  upper  end 
ot'  the  portage,  and  the  men  launched  the  remaining  canoe  into 
the  rapid,  though  wholly  unacquainted  with  the  dangers  of  it. 
Tlie  descent  was  quickly  accomplished,  and  they  perceived  the 
bottom  of  the  lost  canoe  above  water  in  a  little  bay,  whither  it 
had  been  whirled  by  the  eddy.  One  man  had  readied  the  bank, 
but  no  traces  could  be  found  of  the  foreman,  Lo'.tis  Saint  Jean. 
We  saved  the  canoe,  out  of  which  two  jfuns  and  a  case  ol  pre- 
served meats  had  been  thrown  into  the  rapid.*  So  carlj-  a  disas- 
ter deeply  affected  the  spirits  of  the  Canadians,  an(1  their  natural 
vivacity  gave  way  to  melancholy  forebodings,  while  they  erect- 
ed a  wooden  cross  in  the  rocks  near  the  spot  where  their  com- 
panion perished. 

The  loss  of  this  man's  services,  and  the  necessity  of  procuring 
.1  p;uide,  determ.ined  us  to  wait  for  the  arrival  of  the  Norlh-West 
Company's  people  from  Fort  Chipewyan,  and  we  encamped  ac- 
cordin.^ly.  The  canoe  was  much  shattered,  but  as  the  gun  wales 
wnrc  not  broken,  we  easily  repaired  it.     In  the  evening  a  N.W. 

*  Mr.  Hood  himself  was  the  first  to  leap  into  the  canoe  and  incite  the  men 
10  follow  him,  and  shoot  the  rapid  to  save  the  lives  of  their  companions. — 
iMi.  RuavuiisoN's  Journal. 


/■It 


„ iii:^  ^^^ 


.  t    J.  ■ 


/=:S5  4-*     ■    :  f 


164 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


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canoe  arrived,  with  two  of  the  partners.  They  gave  us  an  account 
of  Mr.  Franklin's  proceedings,  and  referred  us  to  the  brigade  fol- 
lowing them  for  a  guide. 

During  the  20th  it  rained  heavily,  and  we  passed  the  day  in 
anxious  suspense  confined  to  our  tents.  A  black  bear  came  to  the 
bank  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  on  seeing  us,  glided 
behind  the  trees. 

Late  on  the  21st  Mr.  Robertson,  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company 
arrived,  and  furnished  us  with  a  guide,  but  desired  that  he  might 
be  exchanged  when  we  met  the  northern  canoes.  We  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  remainder  of  the  day,  to  cross  the  next  portage, 
which  was  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  length. 

On  the  22nd  we  crossed  three  small  portages,  and  encamped  at 
Ihe  fourth.  At  one  of  them  we  passed  some  of  the  Hudson's 
Ba}^  Company's  canoes,  and  our  application  to  them  was  unsuc- 
cessful. We  began  to  suspect  that  Isle  a  la  Crosse  was  the  near- 
est place  at  which  we  might  hope  for  assistance.  However,  on 
the  morning  of  the  23rd  as  we  were  about  to  embark,  we  encoun- 
tered the  last  brigades  of  canoes  belonging  to  both  the  Companies, 
and  obtained  a  guide  and  foreman  from  them.  Thus  completely 
equipped,  we  entered  the  Jilack  Bear  Island  Lake,  the  naviga- 
tion of  which  requires  a  very  experienced  pilot.  Its  length  is 
twenty-two  miles,  and  its  breadth  varies  from  three  to  five,  yet 
it  is  so  choaked  with  islands,  that  no  channel  is  to  be  found 
through  it,  exceeding  a  mile  in  breadth.  At  sunset  we  landed ; 
and  encamped  on  an  island,  and  at  six  A.M.  on  the  24th,  left  the 
lake,  and  crossed  three  jiortages  into  another,  which  has,  proba- 
bly, several  communications  with  the  last,  as  that  by  which  we 
passed  is  too  narrow  to  convey  the  whole  body  of  the  Missin 
nippi.  At  one  of  these  portages  called  the  Pin  Portage  is  a  ra 
pid,  about  ten  yards  in  length,  with  a  descent  of  ten  or  twelvo 
feet,  and  beset  with  rocks.  Light  canoes  sometimes  venture 
down  this  fatal  gulf,  to  avoid  the  portage,  unappalled  by  the  warn 
ing  crosses  which  overhang  the  brink,  the  mournful  records  01 
former  failures. 

The  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  people  whom  we  passed  on  the 
23d,  going  to  the  rock  house  with  their  furs,  were  badly  provid 


river  s  moi 


If;*'- 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


165 


pd  with  food,  of  which  we  saw  distressing  proofs  at  every  por- 
tage behind  them.  They  had  stripped  the  birch  trees  of  their 
rind  to  procure  the  soft  pulpy  vessels  in  contact  with  the  wood, 
wiiich  are  sweet,  but  very  insufficient  to  satisfy  a  craving  appe- 
tite. 

The  lake  to  the  westward  of  the  Pin  Portage,  is  called  Sandfly 
Lake  ;  it  is  seven  miles  long,  and  a  wide  channel  connects  it  with 
the  Serpent  Lake,  the  extent  of  which  to  the  southward  we  could 
not  discern.     There  is  nothing  remarkable  in  this  chain  of  lakes, 
except  their  shapes  being  rocky  basins  filled  by  the  waters  of  the 
Missinnippi,  insulating  tiie  massy  eminences,  and  meandering 
with  almost  imperceptible  current  between  them.  From  the  Ser- 
pent to  the  Sandy  Lake,  it  is  again  confined  in  a  narrow  space  by 
the  approach  of  its  winding  banks,  and  on  the  36th  we  were 
some  hours  employed  in  traversing  a  series  of  shallow  rapids, 
where  it  was  necessary  lo  lighten  the  canoes.  Having  missed  the 
path  through  the  woods,  we  walked  two  miles  in  the  water  upon 
sharp  stones,  from  which  some  person  was  incessantly  slipping 
into  deep  holes,  and  floundering  in  vain  for  footing  at  the  bottom  ; 
a  scene  highly  diverting,  notwithstaning  our  fatigue.     We  were, 
detained  in  Sandy  Lake,  till  one  P.M.,  by  a  strong  gale,  when 
the  wind  becoming  moderate  we  crossed  five  miles  to  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  and  at  four  P.M.  left  the  main  branch  of  it,  and  en- 
tered a  little  rivulet  called  the  Grassy  River,  running  through  an 
extensive  reedy  swamp.     It  is  thp.  next  of  innumerable  ducks, 
which  rear  their  young,  among  the  long  rushes,  in  security  from 
beasts  of  prey.  At  sunset  we  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  main 
branch. • 

At  three  A.M.  June  28th,  we  embarked  in  a  thick  fog  occasion- 
ed by  a  ffli  of  the  temperature  of  the  air  ten  degrees  below  that 
of  the  water.  Having  crossed  Knee  Lake,  which  is  nine  miles 
ill  length,  and  a  portage  at  its  western  extremity,  we  entered  Pri- 
meau  Lake,  with  a  strong  and  favourable  wind,  by  the  aid  of 
which  we  ran  nineteen  miles  through  it,  and  encamped  at  tiie 
river's  mouth.  It  is  shaped  like  the  barb  of  an  arrow,  with  the 
point  towards  the  north,  and  its  greatest  breadth  is  about  four 
miles.  ' 


n»j 


■■'iki'% 


■t     ' 

■0: 


IGo 


A    JOURNEY    TO    TH£    SHORES 


ly^^- 


■»  >. 


I  W¥. 


During  the  night,  a  torrent  of  rain  washed  us  from  our  beds 
accompanied  with  the  loudest  thunder  I  ever  heard.  This  weather 
continued  during  the  29th,  and  often  compelled  us  to  land,  and 
turn  the  canoes  up,  to  prevent  them  from  filling.  We  passed 
one  portage,  and  the  confluence  of  a  river,  said  to  aflbrd,  by 
other  rivers  beyond  a  height  of  land,  a  shorter  but  more  difli- 
cult  route  to  the  Athabasca  Lake  than  that  which  is  generally 
pursued. 

On  the  2Sth  we  crossed  the  last  portage,  and  at  ten  A.M.  en- 
tered the  Isle  a  la  Crosse  Lake,  Its  long  succession  of  woody 
points,  both  banks  stretching  towards  the  south,  till  their  forms 
were  losl  in  the  haze  of  the  horizon,  was  a  grateful  prospect  to 
us,  after  our  bewildered  and  interruj)ted  voyage  in  the  Missinnip- 
pi.  The  gale  wafted  us  with  unusual  speed,  and  as  the  lake  in- 
creased in  breadth,  the  waves  swelled  to  a  dangerous  height.  A 
canoe  running  before  the  wind  is  very  liable  to  burst  asunder, 
when  on  the  top  of  a  wave,  so  that  part  of  the  bottom  is  out  of 
the  water ;  for  there  is  nothing  to  support  the  weight  of  its  heavy 
cargo  but  the  bark,  and  the  slight  gunwales  attached  to  it. 

On  making  known  our  exigencis  to  the  gentlemen  in  charge 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  and  North-West  Companies'  forts,  they 
made  up  an  assortment  of  stores,  amounting  to  five  bales;  for 
lour  of  which  we  were  indebted  to  JNIr.  Mac  Leod  of  the  North- 
West  Company,  who  shared  with  us  the  ammunition  absolutely 
required  for  the  supjwrt  of  his  post ;  receiving  in  exchange  an 
order  for  the  same  quantity  upon  the  cargo  which  we  expected 
to  follow  us  from  York  Factory.  W'e  had  heard  from  Mr.  Stuart 
that  Fort  Chipewyan  was  too  much  impoverishe.'  to  supply  the 
wants  of  the  expedition,  and  we  found  Isle  a  la  Crosse  in  the  same 
condition ;  which  indeed  we  might  have  foreseen,  from  the  ex- 
hausted state  of  Cumberland  House,  but  could  not  have  provided 
against.  We  never  had  heard  before  our  departure  from  York, 
that  the  posts  in  the  interior  only  received  annually  the  stores  ne- 
cessary for  the  consumption  of  a  single  year.  It  was  fortunate  for 
us  that  Mr.  Fianklin  had  desiied  ten  bagsof  pemmican  to  be  sent 
from  the  Saskatchawan  across  the  plains  to  Isle  a  la  Crosse  for 
Qur  use.  This  resource  was  untouched,  but  we  could  not  embark 


ffv^.  „ 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


167 


mi  - 


rriore  than  five  pieces  in  our  own  canoes.  However,  Mr.  Mac 
Leod  agreed  to  send  a  canoe  after  nsto  the  Methve  Portage,  with 
the  pemmican,  and  we  calculated  that  the  diminution  of  our  pro- 
vision would  there  enahle  us  to  receive  it. 

The  Beaver  River  enters  it  on  the  S.E.  side,  and  another  river 
v/hich  has  not  been  named,  on  the  S.W.  Botli  these  rivers  are 
branches  of  the  Missinnippi,  as  it  is  the  only  outlet  from  the  lake. 
The  banks  appeared  to  be  rocky,  and  the  beach  in  many  places 
sandy,  but  its  waters  are  yellow  and  muddy.  It  produces  a  variety 
of  fish,  among  which  its  white  fish  arc  esteemed  the  best  in  the 
country.  The  only  birds  visible  at  this  season,  are  common  to 
every  part  of  the  Missinnippi;  gulls,  ducks,  pigeons,  goatsuckers, 
and  the  raven ;  the  geese  and  swans  pay  a  momentary  visit  in 
passing  to  the  north  and  returning. 

There  was  little  in  the  forts  differing  from  the  establishments 
that  we  had  before  seen.  The  ground  on  which  they  are  erected 
is  sandy,  and  favourable  to  cultivation.  Curiosity,  however,  was 
satisfied  by  the  first  experiment,  and  utility  alone  has  been  unable 
to  extend  't.  Isle  a  la  Crosse  is  frequented  by  the  Crees  and  the 
Chipewyans.  It  is  not  the  dread  of  the  Indians,  but  of  one  an- 
other, that  has  brought  the  rival  Companies  so  close  together  al 
every  trading  post;  each  party  seeking  to  prevent  the  other  from 
engaging  the  affections  of  the  natives,  and  monopolizing  the  trade. 
Whenever  a  settlement  is  made  by  the  one,  the  other  immediately 
follows,  without  considering  the  eligibility  of  the  place;  for  it 
may  injure  its  opponent,  thoiii;h  it  cannot  benefit  itself,  which  is 
the  first  object  of  all  other  commercial  bodies,  but  the  second  ol 
the  fur  traders. 

On  the  evening  of  the  30th  we  embarked,  and  entered  a  wide 
channel  to  the  northward  of  the  forts,  and  extending  towards  the 
north-, -tst.  It  gradually  decreased  in  breadtli  till  it  became  u 
river,  which  is  the  third  fork  of  the  Missinnippi,  and  its  current 
being  alnust  insensible,  we  entered  the  clear  lake  at  ten  A.M.  on 
the  1st  of  July.  Of  this  lake,  which  is  very  large,  no  part  is 
known  except  the  south  border,  but  its  extent  wouhl  lead  us  to 
conclu  'p,  that  its  evaporation  must  be  supplied  by  another  river  to 
the  northward,  especially  as  the  small  channel  that  communicates 


■^-iLW 


if*  ■  ta'."i 


168 


A     JOUKNr.Y    TO    THK    SMOUKS 


f  ■.! 


.»'■! 


with  Bufi'iilo  Lake  is  motionless.  Tlic  existence  of  such  a  rivei 
is  asserted  liy  the  Indians,  and  a  shorten-  passage  might  be  I'ournl 
by  it  across  Ihe  heiglit  of  land  to  the  Clear  Water  River,  than  the 
portage  from  the  Metliye  Lake. 

In  IJufl'alo  Lake  the  wind  was  too  strong  for  us  to  proceed,  and 
we  therefore  encamped  upon  a  gravel  beach  thrown  up  by  the 
waves.  We  embarked  at  thicc  A.M.  July  2d,  and  at  four  P.M. 
entered  the  mouth  of  the  Mothyc  River.  The  lake  is  thirty-four 
miles  in  length,  and  fourteen  in  breadth.  It  is  probable  very  deep. 
for  we  saw  no  islands  in  this  wide  expanse,  except  at  the  borders. 
On  the  south-west  side  were  two  forts,  belonging  to  the  Companies, 
and  near  them  a  solitary  hill  seven  or  eight  hundred  feet  hi^h. 
At  eight  P.M.  we  encamped  in  the  Methye  River,  at  the  conflu- 
ence of  the  river  Pembina.  A  route  has  been  explored  by  it  to 
the  Red  Willow  River,  across  the  height  of  land,  but  the  dilli 
culties  of  it  were  so  great,  that  the  ordinary  route  is  preferred. 

On  the  3d  we  passed  through  the  Methye  River,  and  encamped 
on  the  borders  of  the  Methye  Lake.  The  soil  from  Isle  a  h 
Crosse  to  this  place  is  sandy,  with  some  portion  of  clay,  and  the 
trees  numerous  -,  but  the  Methye  River  is  stony,  and  so  shallow, 
that,  to  lighten  the  canoes,  we  made  two  portages  of  five  and  two 
miles.  The  paths  were  overflowed  with  cold  spring  water,  and 
barricadoed  by  fallen  trees;  we  should  have  been  contented  to 
immerse  ourselves  wholly  had  the  puddle  been  sufficiently  deep. 
for  the  musquitoes  devoured  every  part  that  was  exposed  to 
them. 

On  the  4th  we  crossed  the  Methye  Lake,  and  landed  at  the 
portage  on  the  north-west  side,  in  one  of  the  sources  of  the  Mis- 
sinnippi.  The  lake  is  seventeen  miles  in  length,  with  a  large 
island  in  the  middle.  We  proceeded  to  the  north  side  of  the  portage 
with  two  men,  carrying  a  tent  and  some  instruments,  leaving  the 
canoes  and  cargoes  to  be  transported  by  daily  journeys  of  two  or 
three  miles.  The  distance  is  fourteen  statute  miles,  and  there  are 
two  small  lakes  about  five  miles  from  the  north  side.  Several 
species  of  fish  were  found  in  them,  though  they  have  no  known 
communication  with  any  other  body  of  water,  being  situated  on 
the  elevation  of  the  height.     T'e  road  was  a  gentle  ascent,  miiy 


%mi 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


I(i9 


iiom  tlie  late  rainy  wcathei,and  shaded  by  pines,  poplars, hitches, 
aiul  cypresses,  which  terminated  our  view.  On  the  north  side 
wc  discovered  through  an  opening  in  the  trees,  that  we  were  on 
a  hill  eight  or  nine  hundred  feet  high,  and  at  th(!  edge  of  a  steep 
descent.  We  .vcrc  prepared  to  expect  an  extensive  prospect,  but 
tlie  magnilicent  scene  belore  us  was  so  superior  to  >vhat  the  nature 
of  the  country  had  promiseil,  that  it  banished  even  our  sense  of 
suffering  from  the  musquitoes,  which  hovered  in  clouds  about  our 
heads.  Two  parallel  chains  of  hills  extended  towards  the  setting 
sun,  their  various  projecting  outlines  exhibiting  the  several  gra- 
dations of  distance,  and  the  opposite  bases  closing  at  the  horizon. 
On  the  nearest  eminence,  the  objects  were  clearly  defined  by  their 
dark  shadows  ;  the  yellow  rays  blended  their  softening  hues  with 
brilliant  green  on  the  next,  and  beyond  it  all  distinction  melted 
into  gray  and  purple.  In  the  long  valley  between,  the  smooth 
and  colourless  Clear  Water  River  wound  its  spiral  course,  broken 
and  shattered  by  encroaching  woods.  An  exuberance  of  rich  herb- 
age covered  the  soil,  and  lofty  trees  climbed  the  precipice  at 
our  feet,  hiding  its  brink  with  their  summits.  Impatient  as  we 
were,  and  blinded  with  pain,  we  paid  a  tribute  of  admiration,  which 
this  beautiful  landscape  is  capable  of  exciting,  unaided  by  the  bor- 
rowed charms  of  a  calm  atmosphere,  glowing  with  the  vivid  tints 
of  evening. 

We  descended  to  the  banks  of  the  Clear  Water  River,  and  hav- 
ing encamped,  the  two  men  returned  to  assist  their  companions. 
We  had  sometimes  before  procured  a  little  rest,  by  closing  the 
tent,  and  burning  wood,  or  flashing  gunpowder  within,  the  smoke 
driving  the  musquitoes  into  the  crannies  of  the  ground.  But  this 
remedy  was  now  ineffectual,  though  we  employed  it  so  persever- 
ingly  as  to  hazard  suffocation  :  they  swarmed  under  our  blankets, 
coring  us  with  their  envenomed  trunks,  and  steeping  our  clothes 
in  blood.  We  rose  at  daylight  in  a  fevei',  and  our  misery  was  un- 
mitigated during  our  whole  stay. 

The  musquitoes  of  America  resemble,  in  shape,  those  of  Africa 
Mid  Europe,  but  ditler  essentially  in  size  and  other  particulars. 
There  are  two  distinct  species,  the  largest  ot  which  is  brown,  and 
the  smallest  black.     Wlierc  they  are  bred  cannot  easily  be  deter- 

V 


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P-^n 


17U 


A  JOURNEY    TO  THE    SlIORf.'- 


I  V 


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mined,  for  they  are  numerous  in  every  soil.  They  make  thci. 
first  appearance  in  May,  and  the  cold  destroys  them  in  Septem- 
ber; in  July  they  are  most  voracious;  and  fortunately  for  the 
traders,  the  journeys  from  the  tradins;  posts  to  the  factories  air 
generally  concluded  at  that  period.  The  food  of  the  musquito  is 
blood,  which  it  can  extract  by  penetrating  the  hide  of  a  butfalo; 
and  if  it  is  not  disturbed,  it  gorges  itself  so  as  to  swell  its  borlv 
into  a  transparent  globe.  The  wound  does  not  swell,  like  that 
of  the  African  musquito,  but  it  is  infmitely  more  painful;  and 
when  multiplied  an  hundred  fold,  and  continued  for  so  many  suc- 
cessive days,  it  becomes  an  evil  of  such  magnitude,  that  cold, 
famine,  and  every  other  concomitant  of  an  inhospitable  climate, 
must  yield  the  pre-eminence  to  it.  It  chases  the  buffalo  to  tho 
plains,  irritating  him  to  madness ;  and  the  rein-tleer  to  the  sea- 
shore, from  which  they  do  not  return  till  the  scourge  has  ceased. 

On  the  fith  the  thermometer  was  106°  in  the  sun,  and  on  the 
7th  110°.  The  musquitoes  sought  the  shade  in  the  heat  of  the  day, 
which  we  felt  no  inclination  to  contend  with  them.  It  was  some 
satisfaction  to  us  to  see  the  havoc  made  among  them  by  a  largt 
and  beautiful  species  of  dragon  fly,  called  the  musquito  hawk, 
which  wheeled  through  their  retreats,  swallowing  its  prey  without 
a  momentary  diminution  of  its  speed.  But  the  temporary  reliel 
that  we  had  hoped  for,  was  only  an  exchange  of  tormentors :  our 
new  assailant,  the  ho-.e-fly,  or  bull  dog,  ranged  in  the  hottest 
glare  of  the  sun,  and  carried  oflf  a  portion  of  flesh  at  each  attack. 
Another  noxious  insect,  the  smallest,  but  not  the  least  formida- 
ble, was  the  sand-fly,  known  in  Canada  by  the  name  of  the  bni- 
lot.  To  such  annoyance  all  travellers  must  submit,  and  it  would 
be  unworthy  to  complain  of  that  grievance  in  the  pursuit  oi 
knowledge,  which  is  endured  for  the  sake  of  profit.  This  detail 
of  it  has  only  been  made  as  an  excuse  for  the  scantiness  of  our  ob- 
servations on  the  most  interesting  part  of  the  country  througli 
which  we  passed. 

The  north  side  of  the  Methye  portage  is  in  latitude  56°  41'  40 
N.,  and  longitude  109°  52' 0"  \V.     It  is,  by  our  course,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-fo  11'  miles  from  Isle  a  la  Crosse,  and  considered 
as  a  branch  of  the  Missinnippi,  five  hundred  and  ninety-two  mil("- 


OF  TIIF,  POr.AU   SKA. 


171 


; com  the  Frog  Portacje.  The  Clear  Water  River  passi  112;  i-hrough 
the  valley,  descrihcd  above,  evidently  rises  not  far  to  ti>c  cast- 
ward.  The  height,  computed  by  the  same  mode  as  that  of  the 
ilcliiamamis,  by  allowing  a  foot  for  each  mile  of  distance,  and  six 
feet  on  an  average,  for  each  fall  and  rapid,  is  two  thousand  four 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  admitting 
it  to  be  nine  hundred  feet  above  the  Clear  Water  River.  The 
country,  in  a  line  between  it  and  the  mouth  of  Mackenzie's  river, 
is  a  continual  descent,  although  to  the  eastward  of  that  line,  there 
may  be  several  heights  between  it  and  the  Arctic  sea.  To  the 
eastward  the  lands  descend  to  Hudson's  Bay ;  and  to  the  westward 
also,  till  the  Athabasca  river  cuts  through  it,  from  whence  it  as- 
cends to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Daring  was  the  spirit  of  enter- 
prize  that  first  led  Commerce,  with  her  cumbrous  train,  from  the 
waters  of  Hudson's  Bay  to  those  of  the  Arctic  sea,  across  an  ob- 
stacle to  navigatioii  so  stupendous  as  this ;  and  persevering  has 
been  the  industry  which  drew  riches  from  a  source  so  remote. 

On  the  8th  two  men  arrived,  and  informed  us,  thr\t  they  bad 
brought  us  our  ten  bags  of  pemmican,  from  Isle  a  la  Crosse,  but 
that  they  were  found  to  be  rotten.  Thus  were  we  unexpectedly 
deprived  of  the  most  essential  of  our  stores,  for  we  knew  Fort 
Chipewyan  to  be  destitute  of  provisions,  and  that  Mr.  Franklin 
depended  upon  us  for  a  supply,  whereas,  enough  did  not  remain 
for  our  own  use.  On  the  9th,  the  canoes  and  cargoes  reached  the 
north  side  of  the  portage.  Our  people  had  selected  two  bags  of 
pemmican  less  mouldy  than  the  rest,  which  they  left  on  the 
beach.  Its  decay  was  caused  by  some  defect  in  the  mode  of 
mixing  it. 

On  the  lOlh,  we  embarked  in  the  Clear  Water  River ;  and  pro- 
ceeded down  the  current.  The  hills,  the  banks,  and  bed  of  the 
river,  were  composed  of  fine  yellow  sand,  with  some  limestone 
rocks.  The  surface  soil  was  alluvial.  At  eight  A.M.  we  passed 
a  portage  on  which  the  limestone  rocks  were  singularly  scattered 
through  the  woods,  bearing  the  appearance  of  houses  and  turrets 
overgrown  with  moss.  The  earth  emitted  a  hollow  sound,  and 
the  river  was  divided  by  rocks,  into  narrow  crooked  channels, 
every  object  indicating  that  some  convulsion  had  disturbed  the 


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A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


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general  order  of  nature  at  this  place.  We  had  passed  a  portage 
above  it,  and  after  two  long  pojtages  below  it  we  encamped 
Near  the  last  was  a  small  stream  so  strongly  impregnated  with 
sulphur,  as  to  taint  the  air  to  a  great  distance  around  it.  We  s;nv 
two  brown  bears  on  the  hills  in  the  course  of  the  day. 

At  day-light,  on  the  1  lib,  we  embarked.  The  hills  continued 
on  both  sides  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  varying  from  eight  hun- 
dred to  one  thousand  feet  in  height.  They  declined  to  the  banks 
in  long  green  slopes,  diversified  by  woody  mounds  and  copses. 
The  pines  were  not  here  in  thick  impenetrable  masses,  but  perch- 
ed aloft  in  single  groups  on  the  heights,  or  shrouded  by  the  live 
lier  hues  of  the  poplar  and  willow.  ,     ^ 

We  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Red  Willow  River  on  the  south 
bank,  flowing  through  a  deep  ravine.  It  is  the  continuation  ot 
the  route  b}'^  the  Pembina,  before  mentioned.  At  noon  v\e  enter- 
ed the  majestic  Athabasca  or  Elk  River.  Its  junction  wth  tlie 
Clear  Water  River  is  called  the  Forks.  Its  banks  were  inac  -^  • 
sible  clifls.  apparently  of  clay  and  stones,  about  two  hundrf. '  i, 
high,  and  its  windings  in  the  south  were  encircled  by  high  moun- 
tains. Its  breadth  exceeded  half  a  mile,  and  was  swelled  to  a  mile 
in  many  places  by  long  muddy  islands  in  the  middle  covered  with 
trees.  No  more  portages  interrupted  our  course,  but  a  swift  cur- 
rent hurried  us  towards  the  quarter  in  which  our  anticipated  dis- 
coveries were  to  commence.  The  passing  cliffs  returned  a  id 
confusion  of  echoes  to  the  sprighly  canoe  song,  and  the  dashuig 
paddles;  and  the  eagles,  watching  with  half-closed  eyes  on  the 
pine  tops,  started  from  their  airy  rest,  and  prepared  their  drowsy 
pinions  for  the  flight. 

About  twenty  miles  from  the  Forks  are  some  salt-pits  and 
plains,  said  to  be  very  extensive.  The  height  of  the  banks  was 
reduced  to  twenty  or  thirty  feet,  and  the  hills  ranged  themselves 
at  an  increased  distance  from  the  banks  in  the  same  variety  as 
those  of  the  Clear  Water  River.  At  sunset  we  encamped  on  a 
small  sandy  island,  but  the  next  morning  made  a  speedy  retreat 
to  the  canoes,  the  water  having  nearly  overflown  our  encampment. 
We  passed  two  deserted  settlements  of  the  fur  traders  on  oppo- 
site banksj  at  a  place  called  Pierre  a\'  Calumet.     Beyond  it  ti>e 


Of    THE    I'OLAR    SEA. 


173 


iiills  (lisappcai'cd,  and  the  banks  were  no  longer  visible  above  the 
trees.  The  river  carries  away  yearly  large  portions  of  soil,  which 
jacrcases  its  breadth,  and  diminishes  its  depth,  rendering;  the  wa- 
ter so  muddy  that  it  was  scarcely  drinkable.  Whole  forests  of 
timber  are  drifted  down  the  stream,  and  choke  np  the  channels 
between  the  islands  at  its  mouth.  We  observed  the  traces  of  herds 
of  buffaloes,  where  they  had  crossed  the  river,  the  trees  being 
trodden  down  and  strewed,  as  if  by  a  whirlwind. 

At  four  P.M.  we  left  the  main  branch  of  the  Athabasca,  enter- 
ing a  small  river,  called  the  Embarras.  It  is  narrow  and  muddy, 
with  pines  of  an  enormous  size  on  its  banks.  Some  of  them  are 
two  hundred  feet  high,  and  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter.  At 
nine  P.M.  we  landed  and  encamped  j  but  finding  ourselves  in  a 
nest  of  musquitoes,  we  continued  our  journey  before  day-break  : 
and  at  eight  A.M.,  emerged  into  the  Athabasca  Lake.  A  strong 
wind  agitated  this  sea  of  fresh  water,  which,  however,  we  crossed 
without  any  accident,  and  landed  on  the  north  side  of  it,  at  Fort 
Chipewyan ;  where  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  finding  our  com- 
panions in  good  health,  and  of  experiencing  that  sympathy  in  our 
anxiety  oi  the  state  of  our  affairs,  the  reality  of  whicb  was  onlv 
to  be  expactel  from  those  who  were  to  share  oiu'  fulurc  for- 
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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14SS0 

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174 


A  .TOURNKY   TO  THE   SHORLS 


CHAPTEll  VII. 

Departure  from  rhippwyan— DiflTiciiltics  of  tlie  various  Navigations  of  the 
Rivers  and  Lakes,  and  of  the  Portages — Slave  Lake  and  Fort  Providence- 
Scarcity  of  Provisions,  and  discontent  of  the  Canadian  Voyagers — Difficul- 
ties with  regard  to  the  Indian  (iuides — Refusal  to  proceed — Visit  of  Obser- 
vation to  the  Upper  part  of  Copper-mine  Uiver — Return  to  the  Winter 
Quarters  of  Fort  Enterpri/.e. 


>i  t      y'] 


It  ■  ^*  ■  -      .'  • 
K  .TV    ■    '1  :    1  A  ! 


July  18.  -fciARLY  this  morning  Ihe  stores  were  distributed  to  the 
three  canoes.  Our  stock  of  provision  unfortunately  did  not  amount 
to  more  than  sufficient  for  one  day's  consumption,  exclusive  of  two 
barrels  of  flour,  three  cases  of  preserved  meats,  some  chocolate, 
arrow-root,  and  portable  soup,  which  we  had  brought  from  Eng- 
land, and  intended  to  reserve  for  our  journey  to  the  coast  next 
season.  Seventy  pounds  of  moose  meat  and  a  little  barley  were 
all  that  Mr.  Smith  vva»  enabled  to  give  us.  It  was  gratifying, 
however,  to  perceive  that  this  scarcity  of  food  did  not  depress  the 
spirits  of  our  Canadian  companions,  who  cheerfully  loaded  their 
canoes,  and  embarked  in  high  glee  after  they  had  received  the 
customary  dram.  At  noon  we  bade  farewell  to  our  kind  friend 
Mr.  Smitli.  The  crews  commenced  a  lively  paddling  song  on 
quitting  the  shore,  which  was  continued  until  we  had  lost  sight 
of  the  houses.  We  soon  reached  the  western  boundary  of  the 
lake,  and  at  two  entered  the  Stoney  River,  one  of  the  discharges 
of  the  Athabasca  Lake  into  the  Slave  River,  and  having  a  favour- 
ing current  passed  swiftly  along.  This  narrow  stream  is  confined 
between  low  swampy  banks,  which  support  willows,  dwarf  birch, 
and  alder.  At  live  we  passed  its  conflux  with  Peace  River.  The 
Slave  River,  formed  by  the  union  of  these  streams,  is  about  three 
quarters  of  a  mile  wide.  We  descended  this  magnificent  river 
with  much  rapidity,  and  after  passing  through  several  narrow 
channels,  formed  by  an  assemblage  of  islands,  crossed  a  spot 


"\ 


or    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


17a 


where  the  waters  had  a  violent  whirline;  motion,  which,  when  the 
river  is  low,  is  said  to  subside  into  a  dangerous  rapid  ;  on  the  pre- 
sent occasion,  no  other  inconvenience  was  felt  than  the  inability 
of  steering  the  canoes,  which  were  whirled  about  in  every  direc- 
tion by  the  eddies,  until  the  current  carried  them  beyond  their 
influence.  We  encamped  at  seven,  on  the  swampy  bank  of  the 
river,  but  had  scarcely  pitched  the  tents  before  we  were  visited 
by  a  terrible  thunder-storm  ;  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and  the 
violence  of  the  wind  caused  the  river  to  overflovv  its  banks,  so 
that  we  were  completely  flooded.  Swarms  of  musquitoes  succeeded 
the  storm,  and  their  tormenting  stings,  superadded  to  other  incon- 
veniences, induced  us  to  embark,  and,  after  taking  a  hasty  supper, 
to  pursue  our  voyage  down  the  stream  during  the  night. 

At  six  on  the  following  morning  we  passed  the  Reindeer 
Islands,  and  at  ten  reached  the  entrance  of  the  Dog  River,  where 
we  halted  to  set  the  fishing  nets.  These  were  examined  in  the 
evening,  but  to  our  mortification  we  obtained  only  four  small 
trout,  and  were  compelled  to  issue  part  of  our  preserved  meats  for 
supper.  The  latitude  of  the  mouth  of  Dog  River,  was  observed 
59°  52'  16"  N. 

The  nets  were  taken  up  at  daylight,  but  they  furnished  only  a 
solitary  pike.  We  lost  no  time  in  embarking,  and  crossed  the 
crooked  channel  of  the  Dog  Rapid,  when  two  of  the  canoes  came 
in  such  violent  contact  with  each  other,  that  the  sternmost  had  its 
bow  broken  oft".  We  were  fortunately  near  to  the  shore,  or  the  dis- 
abled canoe  would  have  sunk.  The  injury  being  repaired  in  two 
hours,  we  again  embarked,  and  having  descended  another  rapid, 
arrived  at  the  Cassette  Portage  of  four  hundred  and  sixty  paces, 
over  which  the  cargoes  and  canoes  were  carried  in  about  twenty- 
six  minutes.  We  next  passed  through  a  narrow  channel  full  of 
rapids,  crossed  the  Portage  d'Embarras  of  seventy  yards ;  and 
the  portage  of  the  Little  Rock,  of  three  hundred  yards,  at  which 
another  accident  happened  to  one  of  the  canoes,  by  the  bowman 
slipping  and  letting  it  fall  upon  a  rock,  and  breaking  it  in  two. 
Two  hours  were  occupied  in  sewing  the  detached  pieces  together, 
and  covering  the  seam  with  pitch ;  but  lliis  being  dune,  it  was 
•IS  effective  as  before.     After  Icavini;'  this  pbco  wo  sooti  came  to 


W^^ 


f 


176 


A    JOURNLY    TO    TUK    SHORLS 


r  iN-iS  !^i  -'    i' .!:'' 


the  next  jwrtagt!,  of  two  hundred  and  sevcnty-thice  paces ;  anf". 
shortly  afterwards  to  the  Mountain  Portage,  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty :  which  is  appropriately  named,  as  the  path  leads  over  the 
summit  of  a  high  hill.  This  elevated  situation  commands  a  very 
grand  and  picturesque  view,  for  some  miles  along  the  river,  which 
at  this  part  is  about  a  mile  wide. 

We  next  crossed  a  portage  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  yards ; 
and  then  the  Pelican  Portage,  of  eight  hundred  paces.  Mr.  Back 
took  an  accurate  sketch  of  the  interesting  scenery  which  the  river 
presents  at  this  place.  After  descending  six  miles  further  we 
came  to  the  last  portage  on  the  route  to  Slave  Lake  which  we 
crossed,  and  encamped  at  its  lower  end.  It  is  called  "  The  Port- 
age of  the  Drowned,''^  and  it  received  that  na'ne  from  a  melan 
choly  accident  which  took  4)lace  many  years  ago.  Two  canoes 
arrived  at  the  upper  end  of  the  portage,  in  one  of  which  there 
was  an  experienced  guide.  This  man,  judging  from  the  height  of 
the  river,  deemed  it  practicable  to  shoot  the  rapid,  and  determined 
upon  trying  it.  He  accordingly  placed  himself  in  the  bow  of  his 
canoe,  having  previously  agreed,  that  if  the  passage  was  found 
easy,  he  should,  on  reaching  the  bottom  of  the  rapid,  fire  a  mus- 
ket, as  a  signal  for  the  other  canoe  to  follow.  The  rapid  proved 
dangerous,  and  called  forth  all  the  skill  of  the  guide,  and  the 
utmost  exertion  of  his  crew,  and  they  narrowly  escaped  destruc- 
tion. Just  as  they  were  landing,  an  unfortunate  fellow  seizing  the 
loaded  fowling-piece,  fired  at  a  duck  which  rose  at  the  instant.  The 
guide  anticipating  the  consequences,  ran  with  the  utmost  haste  to 
the  other  end  of  the  portage,  but  he  was  too  late  :  the  other  canoe 
had  pushed  off,  and  he  a?  rived  only  to  witness  the  fate  of  his  com- 
rads.  They  got  alarmed  in  the  middle  of  the  rapid,  the  canoe 
was  upset,  and  every  man  perished. 

The  various  rapids  we  have  passed  to-day,  are  produced  by  an 
assemblage  of  islands  and  rocky  ledges,  which  obstruct  the  river, 
and  divide  it  into  many  narrow  channels.  Two  of  these  channels 
are  rendered  still  more  diflTicult  by  accumulations  of  drift  timber; 
a  circumstance  which  has  given  a  name  to  one  of  the  portages. 
The  rocks  which  form  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  the  numerous 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


17: 


slands,  belong  to  the  granite  formation.     The  distance  made  to- 
tlav  was  thirteen  miles. 

July  21. — We  embarked  at  four  A.M.  and  pursued  our  course 
ilown  the  river.  The  rocks  cease  at  the  last  |)orlage ;  and  below 
it  the  banks  are  composed  of  alluvial  soil,  which  is  held  together 
by  the  roots  of  the  trees  and  shrubs  that  crown  their  summits. 
The  river  is  about  a  mile  wide,  and  the  current  is  greatly  dimin- 
iilied.  At  eight  wc  lanilcd  at  thi-  mouth  of  the  Salt  River,  and 
pitched  our  tents,  intending  to  remain  hern  this  and  the  next  day 
lor  the  purpose  of  llshing.  After  breakfast,  which  made  another 
inroad  on  our  preserved  meats,  we  proceeded  up  the  river  in  a 
lisht  canoe,  to  visit  the  salt  springs,  leaving  a  party  behind  to  at- 
tend the  nets.  This  river  is  about  one  hundred  yards  wide  at 
Its  mouth.  Its  waters  did  not  become  brackish  until  we  had 
iscended  it  seven  or  eight  miles  ;  but  when  we  had  passed 
several  rivulets  of  fresh  water  which  flowed  in,  the  main  stream 
became  veiy  salt,  at  the  same  time  contracting  to  the  width  of 
lifieen  or  twenty  yards.  At  a  distance  of  twenty-two  miles,  in- 
.liuling  the  windings  of  the  river,  the  plains  commence.  Having 
pitched  the  tent  at  this  spot,  we  set  out  to  visit  the  principal 
springs,  and  walked  about  three  miles  when  the  musquitoes  com- 
pelled us  to  give  up  our  project.  VVe  did  not  see  the  termination 
otthe  plains  towards  the  east,  but  on  the  north  an<l  west  they  are 
bounded  by  an  even  ridge,  about  six  or  seven  hundred  feet  in 
height.  Several  salt  springs  issue  from  the  foot  of  this  ridge,  and 
spread  their  waters  over  the  plain,  which  consists  of  tenacious 
clay.  During  the  summer  much  evaporation  takes  place,  and  large 
heaps  of  salt  are  left  behind  crystallized  in  the  form  of  cubes. 
Some  beds  of  greyish  compact  gypsum  were  exposed  on  the  sides 
of  the  hills. 

The  next  morning  after  fdling  some  casks  with  salt  for  our  use 
(luring  winter,  we  embarked  to  return,  and  had  descended  the 
liver  a  few  miles,  when  turning  round  a  point,  we  perceived  a 
hutlalo  plunge  into  the  river  before  us.  Eager  to  secure  so  valuable 
•\  prize,  we  instantly  opened  a  ftre  upon  him  from  four  muskets, 
tud  in  a  few  minutes  he  fell,  but  not  before  he  had  received  four- 
teen balls.  The  carcass  was  towed  to  the  bank,  and  the  canoe 
'jK'cdily  hulen  with  meat.     After  this  pcico  of  good  fortune,   we 

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178 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE   SHORES 


'  H 


!■ 


(lescencled  the  stream  merrily,  our  voyagers  chanting  their  live- 
liest songs.  On  arrival  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  we  found  that 
our  nets  had  not  produced  more  than  enough  to  supply  a  scanty 
meal  to  the  men  whom  we  had  left  behind,  but  this  was  now  of 
little  importance  as  the  acquisition  of  meat  we  had  made,  would 
enable  us  to  proceed  without  more  delay  to  Slave  Lake.  Tiie  Fois- 
son  Inconnu  mentioned  by  Mackenzie,  is  found  here.  It  is  a  spe- 
cies of  the  Genus  Salmo,  and  is  said  by  the  Indians  to  ascend  from 
the  Artie  Sea,  but  being  unable  to  pass  the  cascad.  s  of  the  Slave 
River,  is  not  found  higher  than  this  place.  In  the  evening  a  vio- 
lent thunder-storm  came  on  with  heavy  rain ;   thermometer  7o\ 

At  a  very  early  hour  on  the  following  morning,  we  embarked, 
and  contunied  to  paddle  against  a  very  strorg  wind  and  high 
waves,  under  the  shelter  of  the  bank  of  the  rivers,  until  two  P.M., 
when  having  arrived  at  a  more  exposed  part  of  the  stream,  the 
canoes  took  in  so  much  water  that  we  were  obliged  lo  disembark 
on  a  small  island.  The  river  here  is  from  one  mile  and  a  quar- 
ter  to  one  mile  and  three  quarters  wide.  Its  banks  are  of  moderate 
height,  sandy,  and  well  wooded. 

July  24. — We  made  more  progress  notwithstanding  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  wind.     The  course  of  the  river  is  very  winding, 
making  in  one  place  a  circuit  of  seve'.i  or  eight  miles  round  a  pe 
ninsula,  which  is  joined  to  the  west  bank  by  a  narrow  isthmus 
Near  the  foot  of  this  elbow,  a  loiig  island  occupies  the  centre  ol 
of  the  river,  which  it  divides  into  two  channels.     The  longitude 
was  obtained  near  to  it  113°  ^5'  36",  and  variation  27°  25'  14 
N.,  and  the  latitude  60°  54'  52"  N.,  about  four  miles  farther  down. 
We  passed  the  mouth  of  a  broad  channel  leading  to  the  north-east, 
termed  La  Grande  Riviere  de  Jean,  one  of  the  two  large  branches 
by  which  the  river  pours  its  waters  into  the  Great  Slave  Lake; 
the  flooded  delta,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  is  intersected  by 
several  smaller  channels,  through  one  of  which,  called  the  Chan 
nel  of  the  Scaffold,  we  pursued   our  voyage  on  the  following 
morning,  and  by  eight  A.M.  reached  the  establishment  of  the 
North- West  Company  on  Moose  Deer  Island.     We  found  letters, 
from  Mr.  Wentzel,  dated  Fort  Providence,  on  the  north  side 
of  the  lake,  which  communicated  to  us,  that  there  was  an  Indian 


OF    "HE  POLAR  SKA. 


17!) 


yi<le  waiting  for  us  at  that  post;  but,  that  the  chief  anil  the  hun- 
ers,  who  were  to  accompany  us,  had  gone  to  a  short  distance  to 
iiunt.      They  were  becoming  impatient  at  our  delay. 

Soon  after  landing,  1  visited  the  Hudson's  Bay  post  on  the  same 
.,land,  and  engaged  Pierre  St.  German,  an  interpreter  for  the  Cop- 
iier  Indians.  We  regretted  to  find  the  posts  of  both  the  Compa- 
nies extremely  bare  of  provision  ;  but  as  the  gentleman  in  charge 
iind  despatched  men  on  the  preceding  evening,  to  a  band  of  In- 
dians, in  search  of  meat,  and  they  promised  to  furnish  us  with  what- 
ever should  be  brought,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  wait  for  their 
return,  as  the  smallest  supply  was  now  of  importance  to  us.  Ad- 
vantage was  taken  of  the  delay  to  repair  effectually  the  canoe, 
which  had  been  broken  in  the  Dog  Rapid.  On  the  next  evening, 
the  men  arrived  with  the  meat,  and  enabled  Mr.  M'Cleod,  of  the 
North- West  Company,  to  furnish  us  with  four  hundred  pounds  of 
dried  provisions.  Mr.  M'Vicar,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
also  supplied  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  This  quantity  wc 
considered  would  be  sufficient,  until  we  could  join  the  hunters. 
We  also  obtained  three  fishing-nets,  a  gun,  and  a  pair  of  pistols, 
which  were  all  the  stores  these  posts  could  furnish,  although  the 
gentlemen  in  charge  were  much  disposed  to  assist  us. 

Moose-Deer  Island  is  about  a  mile  in  diameter,  and  rises  towards 
ihe  centre  about  three  hundred  feet  above  the  lake.  Its  soil  is  in 
general  sandy,  in  some  parts  swampy.  The  varieties  of  the  north- 
ern berries  grow  abundantly  on  it.  The  North-West  Company's 
fort  is  in  latitude  61<^  11' 8"  N. ;  longitude  113°  51'  37"  W.,  be- 
iuij;  two  hundred  and  sixty  statute  miles  distant  from  Fort  ,Chi- 
pewyan,  by  the  river  course.  The  variation  of  the  compass  is 
,'5°  40'  47"  E.  The  houses  of  the  two  Companies  are  small,  and 
have  a  bleak  northern  aspect.  There  are  vast  accumulations  of 
Jrift  wood,  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  brought  down  by  the  river, 
which  afford  plenty  of  fuel.  The  inhabitants  live  principally  on 
the  fish,  which  the  lake  at  certain  seasons  furnishes  in  great  abun- 
dance ;  of  these,  the  white  fish,  trout,  and  poisson  inconnu  are 
considered  the  best.  They  also  procure  moose,  buffalo,  and  rein- 
deer meat  occasionally  from  their  hunters  ;  but  these  animals  arc 
generally  found  at  the  distance  of  several  days'  walk  from  the 


180 


A  JOURNKY   TO  THK   SlfORKS 


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forts.  The  Indians  who  trade  here  are  Chipcwyuns.  Jioaveiv. 
martens,  foxes,  and  musk-rats,  are  caun;ht  in  numbers,  in  the  vici 
nity  of  this  pjreat  body  of  water,  the  musquitoes  are  still  a  scji 
ous  annoyance  to  us,  but  they  are  less  numerous  than  belore. 
They  are  in  some  degree  replaced  by  a  small  sandfly,  whose  bite 
is  succeeded  by  a  copious  flow  of  blood,  and  considerable  swell- 
ing,  but  is  attended  with  incomparably  less  irritation,  tlian  the 
puncture  of  the  musquito. 

On  the  27th  of  July  we  embarked  at  four  A.M.,  and  proceeded 
along  the  south  shore  of  the  lake,  through  a  narrow  channel. 
formed  by  some  islands,  beyond  the  confluence  of  the  principal 
branch  of  the  Slave  River;  and  as  far  as  Stoney  Island,  where 
we  breakfasted.  This  island  is  merely  a  rock  of  gneiss,  that  rises 
forty  or  fifty  feet  above  the  lake,  and  is  precipitous  on  the  north 
side.  As  the  day  was  fine,  and  the  lake  smooth,  we  ventured 
upon  paddling  across  to  the  Rein-deer  Islands,  which  were  dis- 
tant about  thirteen  miles  in  a  northern  direction,  instead  of  pur- 
suing the  usual  track  by  keeping  further  along  the  south  shore, 
which  inclines  to  the  eastward  from  this  point.  These  islands  are 
numerous,  and  consist  of  granite,  rising  from  one  hundred  to  two 
hundred  feet  above  the  water.  They  are  for  the  most  part  na- 
ked ;  but  towards  the  centres  of  the  larger  ones,  there  is  a  little 
soil,  and  a  few  groves  of  pines.  At  seven  in  the  evening  we  land- 
ed upon  one  of  them,  and  encamped.  On  the  following  morning 
we  ran  before  a  strong  breeze,  and  a  heavy  swell,  for  some  hours. 
but  at  length  were  obliged  to  seek  shelter  on  a  large  island  adjoin- 
ing to  Isle  a  la  Cache  of  Mackenzie,  where  the  following  obser- 
vations were  obtained:  latitude  61°  50'  18"  N.,  longitude  U'i^ 
21'  40"  W.,  and  variation  31°  2'  06"  E. 

The  wind  and  swell  having  subsided  in  the  afternoon,  we  re- 
embarked,  and  steered  towards  the  western  point  of  the  Big 
Island  of  Mackenzie,  and  when  four  miles  distant  from  it,  had 
forty-two  fathoms  soundings.  Passing  between  this  island  and  a 
promontory  of  the  main  shore,  termed  Big  Cape,  we  entered  into 
a  deep  bay,  which  receives  the  waters  from  several  rivers  that 
come  from  the  northward  ;  and  we  immediately  perceived  a  de- 
crease in  the  temperature  of  the  water,  from  59°  to  48°.    We 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


181 


coasted  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  bay,  its  western  shore  being 
always  visible,  but  the  canoes  were  exposed  to  the  hazard  of  be- 
i[)<r  broken  by  the  numerous  sudden  rocks,  which  were  scattered 
in  our  track.  We  encamped  for  the  night  on  a  rocky  island,  and 
by  eight  A.M.  on  the  following  morning,  arrived  at  Fort  Provi- 
dence, which  is  situated  twenty-one  miles  from  the  entrance  of 
the  bay.  The  post  is  exclusively  occupied  by  the  North- West 
Company,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  having  no  settlement  to 
the  northward  of  Great  Slave  Lake.  We  found  Mr.  Wentzcl  and 
our  interpreter  Jean  Baptiste  Adam  here,  with  one  of  the  Indian 
guides  :  but  the  chief  of  the  tribe  and  his  hunters  were  encamped 
with  their  families,  some  miles  from  the  fort,  in  a  good  situa- 
tion for  fishing.  Our  arrival  was  announced  to  him  by  a  fire 
on  the  top  of  a  hill,  and  before  night  a  messenger  came  to  com- 
municate his  intention  of  seeing  us  next  morning.  The  custom- 
ary present,  of  tobacco  and  some  other  articles,  was  immediately 
sent  to  him. 

Mr.  Wentzel  prepared  me  for  the  first  conference  with  the  In- 
dians by  mentioning  all  the  information  they  had  already  given 
to  him.  The  duties  allotted  to  this  gentleman  were,  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Indians,  the  superintendence  of  the  Canadian  voy- 
agers, the  obtaining,  and  the  general  distribution,  of  the  provi- 
sion, and  the  issue  of  the  other  stores.  These  services  he  was 
well  qualified  to  perform,  having  been  accustomed  to  execute  si- 
milar duties,  during  a  residence  of  upwards  of  twenty  years  in 
(his  country.  We  also  deemed  Mr.  Wentzel  to  be  a  great  acqui- 
sition to  our  party,  as  a  check  on  the  interpreters,  he  being  one 
of  the  few  traders  who  speak  the  Chipewyan  language. 

As  we  were  informed  that  external  appearances  made  lasting 
impressions  on  the  Indians,  we  prepared  for  the  interview  by  de- 
corating ourselves  in  uniform,  and  suspending  a  medal  round  each 
of  our  necks.  Our  tents  had  been  previously  pitched,  and  over 
one  of  them  a  silken  union  flag  was  hoisted.  Soon  after  noon,  on 
July  30th,  several  Indian  canoes  were  seen  advancing  in  a  regu- 
lar line,  and  on  their  approach,  the  chief  was  discovered  in  the 
headmost,  which  was  paddled  by  two  men.  On  landing  at  the 
fort,  the  chief  assumed  a  very  grave  aspect,  and  walked  up  to  Mr. 


t'  .'i' 


162 


A     JOURNEY    TO    THE    SllOUKS 


p.  ¥p- 


k:.\   '■- 


LI: 


■% 


Wcnlzcl  with  a  measured  and  dignified  step,  looking  neither  to 
the  right  nor  to  the  left,  at  the  persons  who  had  assembled  on  the 
beach  to  witness  his  debarkation,  but  preserving  the  same  im- 
moveability  of  countenance  until  he  reached  the  hall,  and  was  in- 
troduced to  the  officers.  When  he  had  smoked  his  pipe,  drank  a 
small  portion  of  spirits  and  water  himself,  and  issued  a  glass  to 
each  of  his  companions,  who  had  seated  themselves  on  the  floor, 
he  commenced  his  harangue,  by  mentioning  the  circumstances  that 
led  to  his  agreeing  to  accompany  the  expedition,  an  engagement 
which  he  was  quite  prepared  to  fulfil.  He  was  rejoiced,  he  said, 
to  see  such  great  chiefs  on  his  lands,  his  tribe  were  poor,  but  they 
loved  white  men  who  had  been  their  benefactors  ;  and  he  hoped 
that  our  visit  would  be  productive  of  much  good  to  them.  The 
report  which  preceded  our  arrival,  he  said,  had  caused  much  grief 
to  him.  It  was  at  first  rumoured  that  a  great  medicine  chief  ac- 
companied us,  who  was  able  to  restore  the  dead  to  life  ;  at  this  he 
rejoiced,  the  prospect  of  again  seeing  his  departed  relatives  had  en- 
livened his  spirits,  but  his  first  communication  with  Mr.  Went- 
zel  had  removed  these  vain  hopes,  and  he  felt  as  if  his  friends 
had  a  second  time  been  torn  from  him.  He  now  wished  to  be 
informed  exactly  of  the  nature  of  our  expedition. 

In  reply  to  thi^  speech,  which  I  understood  had  been  prepared 
for  many  days,  I  endeavoured  to  explain  the  objects  of  our  mis- 
sion in  a  manner  best  calculated  to  ensure  his  exertions  in  our 
service.  With  this  view,  I  told  him  that  we  were  sent  out  by 
the  greatest  chief  in  the  world,  who  was  the  sovereign  also  of  the 
trading  companies  in  the  country ;  that  he  was  the  friend  of  peace, 
and  had  the  interest  of  every  nation  at  heart.  Having  learned 
that  his  children  in  the  north,  were  much  in  want  or  articles  ol 
merchandize,  in  consequence  of  the  extreme  length  and  difficulty 
of  the  present  route ;  he  had  sent  us  to  search  for  a  passage  by 
the  sea,  which  if  found,  would  enable  large  vessels  to  transport 
great  quantities  of  goods  more  easily  to  their  lands.  That  we  had 
not  come  for  the  purpose  of  traffic,  but  solely  to  make  discoveries 
for  their  benefit,  as  well  as  that  of  every  other  people.  That  we 
had  been  directed  to  inquire  into  the  nature  of  all  the  productions 
of  the  countries  we  might  pass  through,  and  particularly  respect- 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


IS  J 


ing  their  inhabitants.  That  we  desired  the  assistance  of  the  In- 
ilians  in  guiding  us,  and  providing  us  with  food  ;  finally,  that  wc 
were  most  positively  enjoined  by  the  great  chief  to  recommend 
ihat  hostilities  should  cease  throughout  this  country ;  and  especi- 
ally between  the  Indians  and  the  Esquimaux,  whom  he  consider- 
ed his  children,  in  common  with  other  natives ;  and  by  way  of 
enforcing  the  latter  point  more  strongly,  I  assured  him  that  a  for- 
feiture of  all  the  advantages  which  might  be  anticipated  from  the 
expedition  would  be  a  certain  consequence,  if  any  quarrel  arose 
between  his  party  and  the  Esquimaux.  I  also  communicated  to 
him  that  owing  to  the  distance  we  had  travelled,  wc  had  now  few 
more  stores  than  were  necessary  for  the  use  of  our  own  party,  a 
part  of  these,  however,  should  be  forthwith  presented  to  him  ;  on 
his  return  he  and  bis  party  should  be  remunerated  with  cloth, 
ammunition,  tobacco,  and  some  useful  iron  materials,  besides  hav- 
ing their  debts  to  the  North-West  Company  discharged. 

The  chief,  whose  name  is  Akaitcho  or  Big-foot,  replied  by  a 
renewal  of  his  assurances,  that  he  and  his  party  would  attend  us 
to  the  end  of  our  journey,  and  that  they  would  do  their  utmost  to 
provide  us  with  the  means  of  subsistence.  He  admitted  that  his 
tribe  had  made  war  upon  the  Esquimaux,  but  said  they  were  now 
desirous  of  peace,  and  unanimous  in  their  opinion  as  to  the  neces- 
sity of  all  who  accompa'nied  us  abstaining  from  every  act  of  en- 
mity against  that  nation,  lie  added,  however,  that  the  Esqui- 
maux were  very  treacherous,  and  therefore  recommended  that  we 
should  advance  towards  them  with  caution. 

The  communcation  which  the  chief  and  the  guides  then  gave 
respecting  the  route  to  the  Copper-Mine  River,  and  its  course  to 
t!ie  sea,  coincided  in  every  material  point  with  the  statements 
wiiieh  were  made  by  Boileau  and  Black-meat  at  Chipewyan,  but 
they  diflered  in  the  descriptions  of  the  coast.  The  information, 
iiowcver,  collected  from  both  sources  was  very  vague  and  unsa- 
tisfactory. None  of  his  tribe  had  been  more  than  three  days' 
march  along  the  sea-coast  to  the  eastward  of  the  river's  mouth. 

As  the  water  was  unusually  high  this  season,  the  Indian  guides 
recommended  our  going  by  a  shorter  route  to  the  Copper-Mine 
River  than  that  they  had  first  proposed  to  JNIr.  Wentzel,  and  they 


0 


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181 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


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assigned  as  a  reason  for  the  change,  that  the  rein-deer  would  be 
sooner  found  upon  this  track.  They  ihen  drew  a  chart  of  the  pro- 
posed route  on  the  floor  with  charcoal,  exhibiting  a  chain  of 
twenty-five  small  lakes  extending  towards  the  north,  about  one 
half  of  them  connected  by  a  river  which  flows  into  Slave  Lake 
near  Fort  Providence.  One  of  the  guides,  named  Kcskarrah 
drew  the  Copper-Mine  River,  running  through  the  Upper  Lake 
in  a  westerly  direction  towards  the  Great  Bear  Lake,  and  then 
northerly  to  the  sea.  The  other  guide  drew  the  river  in  a  straight 
line  to  the  sea  from  the  above-mentioned  place,  but  after  somu 
dispute,  admitted  the  correctness  r^f  the  first  delineation.  The 
latter  was  elder  brother  to  Akaitcho,  and  he  said  that  he  had  accom- 
panied Mr.  Hearne  on  his  journey,  and  though  very  young  at  the 
time,  still  remembered  many  of  the  circumstances,  and  particu- 
larly the  massacre  committed  by  the  Indians  on  the  Esquimaux. 

They  pointed  out  another  lake  to  the  southward  of  the  river, 
about  three  days'  journey  distant  from  it,  on  which  the  chief  pro^ 
posed  the  next  winter's  establishment  should  be  formed,  as  the 
rein-deer  would  pass  there  in  the  autumn  and  spring.  Its  water<i 
contained  fish,  and  there  was  a  sufficiency  of  wood  for  building 
as  well  as  for  the  winter's  consumption.  These  were  important 
considerations,  and  determined  me  in  pursuing  the  route  they 
now  proposed.  They  could  not  inform  us  what  time  we  should 
take  in  reaching  the  lake,  until  they  saw  our  manner  of  travel- 
ling in  the  large  canoes,  but  they  supposed  we  might  be  about 
twenty  days,  in  which  case  I  entertained  the  hope  that  if  we  could 
then  procure  provision  we  should  have  time  to  descend  the  Cop- 
per-Mine River  for  a  considerable  distance  if  not  to  the  sea  itsell. 
and  return  to  the  lake  before  the  winter  set  in. 

It  may  here  be  proper  to  mention  that  it  had  been  my  original 
plan  to  descend  the  Mackenzie's  River,  and  to  cross  the  Great 
Bear  Lake,  from  the  eastern  side  of  which,  Boileau  informed  me, 
there  is  a  communication  with  the  Copper-Mine  River  by  four 
small  lakes  and  portages ;  but,  under  our  present  circumstances, 
this  course  could  not  be  followed,  because  it  would  remove  us  too 
far  from  the  establishments,  at  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  to  receive 
the  supplies  of  ammunition  and  some  other  stores  in  the  wintci 


# 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


185 


uhich  were  absolutely  necessary  for  the  prosecution  of  our  jour- 
ney, or  to  get  the  Esquimaux  interpreter,  whom  we  expected. 
If  I  had  not  deemed  these  circumstances  paramount  I  should  have 
preferred  the  route  by  Hear  Lake. 

Akaitcho  and  the  guides  Imving  communicated  all  the  informa- 
tion they  possessed  on  the  difl'orent  points  to  which  our  questions 
hail  ijcen  directed,  I  placed  my  medal  round  the  neck  of  the  chief, 
and  the  ollicers  prcscMited  theirs  to  an  elder  brother  of  his  and  the 
two  guides,  communicating  to  them  that  these  marks  of  distinc- 
lion  were  given  as  tokens  of  our  friendsiiip  and  as  pledges  of  the 
sincerity  of  our  professions.  Being  conferred  in  the  presence  of 
all  the  hunters  their  acquisition  was  highly  graufying  to  ihem,  but 
they  studiously  avoided  any  great  expression  of  joy,  because  such 
an  exposure  would  have  been  unbecoming  the  dignity  which  the 
jicnior  Indians  assume  during  a  conference.  They  assured  us,  how- 
ever, of  their  being  duly  sensible  of  these  tokens  of  our  regard, 
and  that  they  should  be  preserved  during  their  lives  with  the  ut- 
most care.  The  chief  evinced  much  penetration  and  intelligence 
during  the  whole  of  this  conversation,  which  gave  us  a  favoura- 
ble opinion  of  his  intellectual  powers.  He  made  many  inquiries 
respecting  the  Discovery  ships,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Parry,  which  had  been  mentioned  to  him,  and  asked  why  a  pas- 
sage had  not  been  discovered  long  ago,  if  one  existed.  It  may  be 
stated  that  we  gave  a  faithful  explanation  to  all  his  inquiries,  which 
policy  would  have  prompted  us  to  do  if  a  love  of  truth  had  not ; 
for  whenever  these  northern  nations  detect  a  falsehood  in  the 
dealings  of  the  traders,  they  make  it  an  unceasing  subject  of  re- 
proach, and  their  confidence  is  irrecoverably  lost. 

We  presented  to  the  chief,  the  two  guides,  and  the  seven  hun- 
ters, who  had  engaged  to  accompany  us,  some  cloth,  blankets,  to- 
bacco, knives,  daggers,  besides  other  useful  iron  materials,  and  a 
gun  to  each  ;  also  a  keg  of  very  weak  spirits  and  water,  which  they 
kept  until  the  evening,  as  they  had  to  try  their  guns  before  dark, 
and  make  the  necessary  preparations  for  commencing  the  journey 
on  the  following  day.  The  Indians,  however,  did  not  leave  us  on 
the  next  day,  as  the  chief  was  desirous  of  being  present,  with 
his  party,  at  the  dance,  which  was  given  in  the  evening  to  our 

A  :» 


••-   i        til- 


J."r:' 


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A    JOURNEY    TO   THE    SHORES 


^i.l'^ 


.'H 


.■>    !■' 


4Mm 


Canadian  voyagers.     They  were  highly  entertained  by  the  viva- 
city ;»nd  agility  displayed  by  our  companions  in  their  singino- 
and  dancing :  and  especially  by  their  imitating  the  gestures  of  a 
Canadian,  who  placed  himself  in  the  most  ludicrous  postures ;  and 
whenever  this  was  done,  the  gravity  of  the  chief  gave  way  to  vio- 
lent bursts  of  laughter.     In  return  for  the  gi'atification  Akaitclio 
had  enjoyed,  he  desired  his  young  men  to  exhibit  the  Dog-Rih 
Indian  dance ;  and  immediately  they  ranged  themselves  in  a  circle, 
and  keeping  their  legs  widely  separated,  began  to  jump  simulta- 
neously sideways ;  their  bodies  were  bent,  their  hands  placed  on 
their  hips,  and  they  uttered  forcibly  the  interjection  isa  at  each 
jump.     Devoid  as  were  their  attitudes  of  grace,  and  their  music 
of  harmony,  we  were  much  amused  by  the  novelty  of  the  exhi 
bition. 

In  the  midst  of  this  scene  an  untoward  accident  occurred,  which 
for  a  time  interrupted  our  amusements.  The  tent  in  which  Dr. 
Richardson  and  I  lodged  having  caught  fire  from  some  embers 
that  had  been  placed  in  it  to  expel  the  musquitoes,  was  entirely 
burnt.  Hepburn,  who  was  sleeping  within  it,  close  to  some 
powder,  most  providentially  was  awoke  in  time  to  throw  it  clear 
of  the  flame,  and  rescue  the  baggage,  before  any  material  injury 
had  been  received.  We  dreaded  the  consequences  of  this  disaster 
upon  the  fickle  minds  of  the  Indians,  and  wished  it  not  to  be  com- 
municated to  them.  The  chief,  however,  was  soon  informed  of 
t  by  one  of  his  people,  and  expressed  his  desire  that  no  future 
misfortune  should  be  concealed  from  him.  We  found  he  was 
most  concerned  to  hear  that  the  flag  had  been  burnt,  but  we  re- 
moved his  anxiety  on  that  point,  by  the  assurance  that  it  could 
easily  be  repaired.  We  were  advised  by  Mr.  Wentzel  to  recom- 
mence the  dancing  after  this  event,  lest  the  Indians  should  ima- 
gine, by  our  putting  a  stop  to  it,  that  we  considered  the  circum- 
stance as  an  unfavourable  commencement  of  our  undertaking. 
We  were,  however,  deeply  impressed  with  a  gratefid  sense  of  the 
Divine  Providence,  in  averting  the  threatened  destruction  of  our 
stores,  which  would  have  been  fatal  to  every  prospect  of  proceed- 
ing forward  this  season. 
%liigust  1. — ^This  morning  the  Indians  set  out,  intending  to 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


187 


iva- 


walt  for  us  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow-Knife  River.  We  re- 
mained behind  to'pack  our  stores,  in  bales  of  eighty  pounds  each, 
an  operation  which  could  not  be  done  in  the  presence  of  these 
Indians,  as  they  are  in  the  habit  of  begging  for  every  thing  they 
see.  Our  stores  consisted  of  two  barrels  of  gunpowder,  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  pounds  of  ball  and  small  shot,  four  fowling-pieces, 
a  few  old  trading  guns,  eight  pistols,  twenty -four  Indian  daggers, 
some  packages  of  knives,  chisels,  axes,  nails,  and  fastenings  for  a 
boat ;  a  few  yards  of  cloth,  some  blankets,  needles,  luoking-glasses, 
and  beads ;  together  with  nine  fishing-nets,  having  meshes  of  dif- 
ferent sizes.  Our  provision  was  two  casks  of  flour,  two  hundred 
dried  rein-deer  tongues,  some  dried  moose  meat,  portable  soup, 
and  arrow-root,  sufficient  in  the  whole  for  ten  days'  consumption, 
besides  two  cases  of  chocolate,  and  two  canisters  of  tea.  We  en- 
gaged another  Canadian  voyager  at  this  place,  and  the  expedition 
then  consisted  of  twenty-eight  persons,  including  the  officers,  and 
the  wives  of  three  of  the  voyagers,  who  were  brought  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  shoes  and  clothes  for  the  men  at  the  winter  esta- 
blishment ;  there  were  also  three  children,  belonging  to  two  of 
these  women.* 


•  The  following  is  the  list  of  the  officers  and  men  who  composed  the  ex- 
pedition  on  its  departure  from  Fort  Providence  : 

John  Franklin,  Lieutenant  of  the  Royal  Navy  and  Commander. 
John  Richardson,  M.D.,  Surgeon  of  the  Royal  Navy. 
Mr.  George  Back,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  Admiralty  Midshipman. 
Mr.  Robert  Hood,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  Admiralty  Midshipman. 
Mr.  Frederic  Wentzel,  Clerk  to  the  North-West  Company. 
John  Hepburn,  English  seaman. 


, 

Canadian  Votageiis. 

d  ima- 

John  Peltier, 

Gabriel  Beauparlant, 

ircum- 

Mathew  Pelonquin,  dit  Credit, 

Vincenza  Fontano, 

aking. 

Solomon  Belanger, 

Registe  Vaillant, 

of  the 

Joseph  Betmoit, 

Jean  Baptiste  Parent, 

of  oil  I 

Joseph  Gapne, 

Jean  Baptiste  Belanger, 

npppd- 

Pierre  Dumas, 

Jean  Baptiste  Belleau, 

w^  Wi'l 

Joseph  Forcier, 

Emanuel  Cournoyee, 

Ignace  Perrault, 

Michel  Teroahaute  an  Troquols. 

ing  to 

Francais  Samandrp, 

*^ 


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A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


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Our  observations  place  Fort  Providence  in  latitude  62*  17'  1 9' 
N.,  longitude  114°  9'  28"  VV. ;  the  variation  of  the  compass  is 
33°  35'  55"  E.,  and  dip  of  the  needle  86°  3S'  02".  It  is  distant 
from  Moose-Deer  Island  sixty-six  geographic  miles.  This  is  Iho 
last  establishment  of  the  traders  in  this  direction,  but  the  North- 
West  Company  have  two  to  the  northward  of  it,  on  the  Macken- 
zie Kiver.  It  has  been  erected  for  the  convenience  of  the  Copper 
and  Dog-rib  Indians,  who  generally  bring  such  a  quantity  of  rein- 
deer meat  that  the  residents  are  enabled,  out  of  their  superabun- 
dance, to  send  annually  some  provision  to  the  fort  at  Moose-Deer 
Island.  They  also  occasionally  procure  moose  and  buffalo  meat, 
but  these  animals  are  not  numerous  on  this  side  of  the  lake.  Few- 
furs  are  collected.  Les poissons  mcomius,  trout,  pike,  carp,  and 
white  fish,  are  very  plentiful,  and  on  these  the  residents  princi- 
pally subsist.  Their  great  supply  of  fish  is  procured  in  the  latter 
part  of  September  and  the  beginning  of  October,  but  there  are  a 
few  taken  daily  in  the  nets  during  t!  j  winter.  The  surrounding 
country  consists  almost  entirely  of  coarse  grained  granite,  fre- 
quently enclosing  large  masses  of  reddish  felspar.  These  rocks 
form  hills  which  attain  an  elevation  of  three  hundred  or  four  hun- 
dred feet,  about  a  mile  behind  the  house ;  their  surface  is  generally 
naked,  but  in  the  valleys  between  them  a  few  spruces,  aspens,  and 
birches  grow,  together  with  a  variety  of  shrubs  and  berry-bearing 
plants. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  2d  of  August  we  commenced  our  jour- 
ney, having,  in  addition  to  our  three  canoes,  a  smaller  one  to 
convey  the  women ;  we  were  all  in  high  spirits,  being  heartiij' 
glad  that  the  time  had  at  length  arrived  when  our  course  was  to 
be  directed  towards  the  Copper-Mine  River,  and  through  a  line 
of  country  which  had  not  been  previously  visited  by  any  Euro- 
pean. We  proceeded  to  the  northward,  along  the  eastern  side  of 
a  deep  bay  of  the  lake,  passing  through  various  channels,  formed' 
by  an  assemblage  of  rocky  islands ;  and,  at  sunset,  encamped  on 


Pierre  St.  Germain, 
Jean  Baptiste  Adam, 


ISTEBFRETER!!. 

Chipewyan  Bois  Bruits. 


OF    THE   POLAR    SEA. 


m» 


a  projecting  point  of  the  north  main  shore,  eight  miles  from  Fort 
providence.  To  the  westward  of  this  arm,  or  bay,  of  the  lake, 
there  is  another  deep  bay,  that  receives  the  waters  of  a  river, 
which  communicates  with  Great  Marten  Lake,  where  the  North- 
West  Company  had  once  a  post  established.  The  eastern  shores  of 
the  Great  Slave  Lake  are  very  imperfectly  known  :  none  of  the 
traders  have  visited  them,  and  the  Indians  give  such  loose  and 
unsatisfactory  accounts,  that  no  estimation  can  be  formed  of  its 
extent  in  that  direction.  These  men  say  there  is  a  communica- 
tion from  its  eastern  extremity  by  a  chain  of  lake,  with  a  shallow 
river,  which  discharges  its  waters  into  the  sea.  This  stream  they 
call  the  Thlouee-tessy,  and  report  it  to  be  navigable  for  Indian 
canoes  only.  The  forms  of  the  south  and  western  shores  are  bet- 
ter known  from  the  survey  of  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie,  and  in 
consequence  of  the  canoes  having  to  pass  and  rej)ass  along  these 
borders  annually,  between  Moose-Deer  Island  and  Mackenzie's 
River.  Our  observations  made  the  breadth  of  the  lake,  between 
Stoney  Island  and  the  north  main  shore,  sixty  miles  less  than  it 
is  laid  down  in  Arrowsmith's  map ;  and  there  is  also  a  consider- 
able difference  in  the  longitude  of  the  eastern  side  of  the  bay, 
which  we  entered. 

This  lake,  owing  to  its  great  depth,  is  seldom  completely  frozen 
over  before  the  last  week  in  November,  and  the  ice,  which  is 
generally  seven  feet  thick,  breaks  up  about  the  middle  of  June, 
three  weeks  later  than  that  of  the  Slave  River.  The  only  known 
outlet  to  this  vast  body  of  water,  which  receives  so  many  streams 
on  its  north  and  south  shores,  is  the  Mackenzie's  River. 

Jiugust  3. — We  embarked  at  three  A  M.  and  proceeded  to  the 
entrance  of  the  Yellow-Knife  River  of  the  traders,  which  is  called 
by  the  natives  Beg-ho-lo-dessy ;  or.  River  of  the  Toothless  Fish. 
We  found  Akaitcho,  and  the  hunters  with  their  families,  encamp- 
ed here.  There  were  also  several  other  Indians  of  his  tribe,  who 
intended  to  accompany  us  some  distance  into  the  interior.  This 
party  was  quickly  in  motion  after  our  arrival,  and  we  were  soon 
surrounded  by  a  fleet  of  seventeen  Indian  canoes.  In  company 
with  them  we  paddled  up  the  river,  which  is  one  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  wide,  and,  in  an  hour,  came  to  a  cascade  of  five  feet. 


"W.^ 


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A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


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where  we  were  compelled  to  make  a  portage  of  one  hundred  and 
lifty-eight  yards.  We  next  crossed  a  dilatation  of  the  river,  about 
six  miles  in  length,  upon  wliich  the  name  of  Lake  Prosperous  was 
bestowed.  Its  shores,  though  scantily  supplied  with  wood,  are 
very  picturesque. 

Akaitcho  caused  himself  to  be  paddled  by  his  slave,  a  yom<r 
man,  of  the  Dog-rib  nation,  whom  he  had  taken  by  force  from 
his  friends  ;  when  he  thought  himself,  however,  out  of  reach  of  oui 
observation,  he  laid  aside  a  good  deal  of  his  state,  and  assisted  in 
the  labour; and  after  a  few  days'  further  acquaintance  with  us,  lie 
did  not  hesitate  to  paddle  in  our  presence,  or  even  carry  his  canoe 
on  the  portages.  Several  of  the  canoes  were  managed  by  women, 
who  proved  to  be  noisy  companions,  for  they  quarrelled  frequent- 
ly, and  the  weakest  was  generally  profuse  in  her  lamentations. 
which  were  not  at  all  diminished,  when  the  husband  attempted 
to  settle  the  difference  by  a  few  blows  with  his  paddle. 

An  observation,  near  the  centre  of  the  lake,  gave  114°  13'  39 
W.,  and  33°  8' 06"  E.  variation. 

Leaving  the  lake,  we  ascended  a  very  strong  rapid,  and  arrived 
at  a  range  of  three  steep  cascades,  situated  in  the  bend  of  the  river. 
Here  we  made  a  portage  of  one  thousand  three  h  undred  yards 
over  a  rocky  hill,  which  received  the  name  of  the  Bowstring  Por- 
tage, from  its  shape.  We  found  that  the  Indians  had  greatly  Ihc 
advantage  of  us  in  this  operation ;  the  men  carried  their  small 
canoes,  the  women  and  children  the  clothes  and  provisions,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  portage  they  were  ready  to  embark  ;  whilst  it 
was  necessary  for  our  people  to  return  four  times,  before  they 
could  transport  the  weighty  cargo  with  which  we  were  burthen- 
ed.  After  passing  through  another  expansion  of  the  river,  and 
over  the  steep  portage  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  yards,  we  en- 
camped on  a  small  rocky  isle,  just  large  enough  to  hold  our  party, 
and  the  Indians  took  possession  of  an  adjoining  rock.  We  were 
now  distant  thirty  miles  from  Fort  Providence. 

As  soon  as  the  tents  were  pitched,  the  officers  and  men  were 
divided  into  watches  for  the  night ;  a  precaution  intended  to  be 
taken  throughout  the  journey,  not  merely  to  prevent  our  being 
surprised  by  strangers,  but  also  to  show  our  companions  that  we 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


191 


were  constantly  on  our  guard.  The  chief,  who  suffered  nothing 
to  escape  his  ohservalion,  remarked,  "  that  he  should  sleep  with- 
out anxiety  among  the  Esquimaux,  for  he  perceived  no  enemy 
could  surprise  us." 

After  supper  we  retired  to  rest,  but  our  sleep  was  soon  inter- 
rupted by  the  Indians  joining  in  loud  lamentations  over  a  sick 
child,  whom  they  supposed  to  be  dying.  Dr.  Richardson,  how- 
ever, immediately  went  to  the  boy,  and  administered  some  me- 
dicine which  relieved  his  pain,  and  put  a  stop  to  their  mourning. 
The  temperatures,  this  day,  were  at  four  A.M.  54°,  three  P.M. 
:r,  at  seven  P.M.  65'. 

On  the  4th  we  crossed  a  small  lake,  and  passed  over  in  succes- 
sion the  Blue  Berry  Cascade,  and  Double  Fall  Portages,  where 
die  river  falls  over  ridges  of  rocks  that  completely  obstruct  the 
passage  for  canoes.  We  came  to  three  strong  rapids  beyond  these 
barriers,  which  were  surmounted  by  the  aid  of  the  poles  and  lines, 
and  then  to  a  bend  of  the  river  in  which  the  cascades  were  so 
frequent,  that  to  avoid  them  we  carried  the  canoes  into  a  chain  of 
small  lakes.  We  entered  them  by  a  portage  of  nine  hundred  and 
fifty  paces,  and  during  the  afternoon  traversed  three  other  grassy 
lakes,  and  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  at  the  end  of  the 
Yellow-Knife  Portage,  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  paces.  This 
day's  work  was  very  laborious  to  our  men.  Akaitcho,  however, 
had  directed  his  party  to  assist  them  in  carrying  their  burdens  on 
the  portages,  which  they  did  cheerfully.  This  morning  Mr.  Back 
caught  several  fish  with  a  fly,  a  method  of  fishing  entirely  new 
to  the  Indians  ;  and  they  were  not  more  delighted  than  astonished 
at  his  skill  and  success.  The  extremes  of  temperature  to-day  were 
Jl°  and  65°. 

On  A.ugust  5th  we  continued  the  ascent  of  the  river  which  va- 
ried much  in  breadth  as  did  the  current  in  rapidity.  It  flows  be- 
tween high  rocky  banks  on  which  there  is  sufficient  soil  to  sup- 
port pines,  birch,  and  poplars.  Five  portages  were  crossed,  then 
ihe  Rocky  Lake,  and  we  finished  our  labours  at  the  end  of  the 
iixth  portage.  The  issue  of  dried  meat  for  breakfast  this  morn- 
ing had  exhausted  all  our  stock  ;  and  no  other  provision  remained 
!)iu  the  portable  soups,  and  a  few  pounds  of  preserved  meat.     At 


m 


192 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


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it's*'  '■;  ■;  '^i'Ku.i'i'-Ji 


the  recommendation  of  Akaitcho,  the  hunters  were  furnished  wiih 
ammunition,  and  desired  to  go  forward  as  speedily  as  possible,  to 
the  part  where  the  rein-deer  were  expected  to  be  found ;  and  to 
return  to  us  with  any  provision  they  could  procure.  He  also  as- 
sured us  that  in  our  advance  towards  them  we  should  come  to  lakes 
aboundiuj^in  fish.  Many  of  the  Indians,  being  also  in  distress  for 
food,  decided  on  separating  from  us,  and  going  on  at  a  quicker 
pace  than  we  could  travel. 

Akaitcho  himself  was  always  furnished  with  a  portion  at  our 
meals,  as  a  token  of  regard  which  the  traders  have  taught  the  chiefs 
to  expect,  and  which  we  willingly  paid. 

The  next  morning  we  crossed  a  small  lake  and  a  portage,  be- 
fore we  entered  the  river;  shortly  afterwards,  the  canoes  and 
cargoes  were  carried  a  mile  along  its  banks,  to  avoid  three  very 
strong  rapids,  and  over  another  portage  into  a  narrow  lake ;  wc 
encamped  on  an  island  in  the  middle  of  it,  to  set  the  nets ;  but  they 
only  yielded  a  few  fish,  and  we  had  a  very  scanty  supper ;  as  it 
was  necessary  to  deal  out  our  provision  sparingly.  The  longitude 
114°  27'  03"  W.,  and  variation  33°  00'  04"  E.,  were  observed. 

We  had  the  mortification  of  finding  the  nets  entirely  empty 
next  morning,  an  untoward  circumstance  that  discouraged  our 
voyagers  very  much  ;  and  they  complained  of  being  unable  to  sup- 
port the  fatigue  to  which  they  were  daily  exposed,  on  their  present 
scanty  fare.  We  had  seen  with  regret  that  the  portages  were 
more  frequent  as  wc  advanced  to  the  northward,  and  feared  that 
their  strength  would  fiiil,  if  provision  were  not  soon  obtained. 
We  embarked  at  six,  proceeded  to  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  cross- 
ed a  portage  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  paces,  leading  over 
ridges  of  sand-hills,  which  nourished  pines  of  a  larger  size  than 
we  had  lately  seen.  This  conducted  us  to  Mossy  Lake,  from 
whence  we  regained  the  rivcv,  after  traversing  another  portage. 
The  Birch  and  Poplar  portages  next  followed,  and  beyond  these 
we  came  to  a  part  where  the  river  takes  a  great  circuit,  and  its 
course  is  interrupted  by  several  heavy  falls.  The  guide,  therefore, 
advised  us  to  quit  it,  and  proceed  through  a  chain  of  nine  lakes 
extending  to  the  north-east,  which  we  did,  and  encamped  on  Icy 
Portage,  where  the  nets  were  set.     The  bottom  of  the  valley, 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


193 


throiigh  which  the  track  across  this  portage  led,  was  covered 
with  ice  four  or  five  feet  thick,  the  remains  of  a  large  iceberg,  which 
is  annually  formed  there,  by  the  snow  drifting  into  the  valley,  and 
becoming  consolidated  into  ice  by  the  overflowing  of  some  springs 
that  are  warm  enough  to  resist  the  winter's  cold.  The  latitude  is 
i^r  22'  15"  N.,  longitude  114°  15'  30"  W. 

We  were  alarmed  in  the  night  by  our  fire  communicating  to 
[he  dry  moss,  which  spreading  by  the  force  of  a  strong  wind,  en- 
circled the  encampment  and  threatened  destruction  to  our  canoes 
ami  baggage.  The  watch  immediately  aroused  all  the  men,  who 
quickly  removed  whatever  could  be  injured  to  a  distant  part,  and 
alienvards  succeeded  in  extinguishing  the  flame. 

August  8. — During  this  day  we  crossed  five  portages,  passing 
over  a  very  bad  road.  The  men  were  quite  exhausted  with  fa- 
tigue by  five  P.M.,  when  we  were  obliged  to  encamp  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  fifth  lake,  in  which  the  fishing-nets  were  set.  We  be- 
u;an  this  evening  to  issue  some  portable  soup  and  arrow-root,  which 
our  companions  relished  very  much  ;  but  this  food  is  too  unsub- 
stantial to  support  their  vigour  under  their  daily  exhausting  labour, 
and  we  could  not  furnish  them  with  a  sufficient  quantity  even  of 
this  to  satisfy  their  desires.  We  commenced  our  labours  on  the 
next  day  in  a  very  wet  uncomfortable  state,  as  it  had  rained  through 
the  night  until  four  A.M.  The  fifth  grassy  lake  was  crossed,  and 
four  others,  with  their  intervening  portages,  and  we  returned  to 
the  river  by  a  portage  of  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifteen 
paces.  The  width  of  the  stream  here  is  about  one  hundred  yards, 
its  banks  are  moderately  high,  and  scantily  covered  with  wood. 
We  afterwards  twice  carried  the  cargoes  along  its  banks  to  avoid 
a  very  stony  rapid,  and  then  crossed  the  first  Carp  portage  in  lon- 
gitude 114°  2'  01"  W.,  variation  of  the  compass  32°  30'  40"  E., 
and  encamped  on  the  borders  of  Lower  Carp  Lake. 

The  chief  having  told  us  that  this  was  a  good  lake  for  fishing, 
we  determined  on  halting  for  a  day  or  two  to  recruit  our  men,  of 
whom  three  were  lame,  and  several  others  had  swelled  legs.  The 
chief  himself  went  forward  to  look  after  the  hunters,  and  he  pro- 
mised to  make  a  fire  as  a  signal  if  they  had  killed  any  rein-deer. 

Bb 


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194 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


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All  the  Indians  had  left  us  in  the  course  of  yesterday  and  to-day 
to  seek  these  animals,  except  the  guide  Keskarrah. 

t/lugust  10. — ^The  nets  furnishing  only  four  carp,  we  embarked 
for  the  purpose  of  searching  for  a  better  spot,  and  encamped  again 
on  the  shores  of  the  same  lake.  The  spirits  of  the  men  were  much 
revived  by  seeing  some  recent  traces  of  rein-deer  at  this  place 
which  circumstance  caused  them  to  cherish  the  hope  of  soon  get- 
ting a  supply  of  meat  from  the  hunters.  They  were  also  gratifi- 
ed by  finding  abundance  of  blue  berries  near  to  the  encampment 
which  made  an  agreeable  and  subtantial  addition  to  their  otherwise 
scanty  fare.  We  were  teased  by  the  sand-flics  this  evening,  al- 
though the  thermometer  did  not  rise  above  45''.  The  country 
through  which  we  have  tavelled  for  some  days  consists  principally 
of  granite,  intermixed  in  some  spots  with  mica  slate,  often  passino- 
into  clay-slate.  But  the  borders  of  Lower  Carp  Lake,  where  the 
gneiss  formation  prevails,  are  composed  of  hills,  having  less  alti- 
tude, fewer  precipices,  and  more  rounded  summits.  The  valleys 
are  less  fertile,  containing  a  gravelly  soil  and  fewer  trees ;  so  that 
the  country  has  throughout  a  more  barren  aspect. 

August  11. — Having  caught  suificient  trout,  white  fish,  and 
carp,  yesterday  and  this  morning,  to  afford  the  party  two  hearty 
meals,  and  the  men  being  recovered  of  their  fatigue,  we  proceed- 
ed on  our  journey,  crossed  the  Upper  Carp  Portage,  and  embark- 
ed on  the  lake  of  that  name,  where  we  had  the  gratification  of 
paddling  for  ten  miles.  We  put  up  at  its  termination  to  fish,  by 
the  advice  of  our  guide,  and  the  following  observations  were  then 
taken  :  longitude  113°  46'  35"  W.,  variation  of  the  compass  36° 
45'  30"  E.,  dip  87°  11'  48".  At  this  place  we  first  perceived  the 
north  end  of  our  dipping-needle  to  pass  the  perpendicular  line 
when  the  instrument  was  faced  to  the  west. 

We  had  scarcely  quitted  the  encampment  next  day  before  an 
Indian  met  us,  with  the  agreeable  communication,  that  the  hun- 
ters had  made  several  fires,  which  were  certain  indications  of 
their  having  killed  rein-deer.  This  intelligence  inspired  our  com- 
panions with  fresh  energy,  and  they  quickly  traversed  the  next 
portage,  and  paddled  through  the  Rein-deer  Lake ;  at  the  north 
bide  of  it  we  found  the  canoes  of  our  hunters,  and  learned  from 


r 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


i 


195 


\4 


our  guide  that  the  Indians  usually  leave  their  canoes  here,  as  the 
water  communication  on  their  hunting  grounds  is  had.  The  Yel- 
jow-Knife  River  has  now  dwindled  into  an  insignificant  rivulet, 
and  we  could  not  trace  it  beyond  the  next  lake,  except  as  a  mere 
brook.  The  latitude  of  its  source  64"  1'  30"  N.,  longitude  113° 
^S'  W.,  and  its  length  is  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  statute  miles. 
Tiiough  this  river  is  of  sufficient  breadth  and  depth  for  navigating 
in  canoes,  yet  I  conceive  its  course  is  too  much  interrupted  by 
cascades  and  rapids  for  its  ever  being  used  as  a  channel  for  the 
conveyance  of  merchandize.  Whilst  the  crews  were  employed  in 
making  a  portage  over  the  foot  of  Prospect  Hill,  we  ascended  to 
the  top  of  it,  and  as  it  is  the  highest  ground  in  the  neiglibourhood, 
its  summit,  which  is  about  five  hundred  feet  above  the  water, 
commands  an  extensive  view. 

Akaitcho,  who  was  here  with  his  family,  pointed  out  to  us  the 
smoke  of  the  distant  fires  which  the  hunters  had  made.  The 
prospect  from  the  hill  is  agreeably  diversified  by  an  intermixture 
of  hill  and  valley,  and  the  appearance  of  twelve  lakes  in  different 
directions.  On  the  borders  of  these  lakes  a  few  thin  pine  groves 
occur,  but  the  country  in  general  is  destitute  of  almost  every 
vegetable,  except  a  few  berry-bearing  shrubs  and  lichens,  and  has 
a  very  barren  aspect.  The  hills  are  composed  of  gneiss,  but  their 
acclivities  are  covered  with  a  coarse  gravelly  soil.  There  are 
many  large  loose  stones  both  on  their  summits  and  acclivities, 
composed  of  the  same  materials  as  the  solid  rock. 

We  crossed  another  lake  in  the  evening,  encamped,  and  set  the 
nets.  The  chief  made  a  large  fire  to  announce  our  situation  to 
the  hunters. 

August  13. — We  caught  twenty  fish  this  morning,  but  they 
were  small,  and  furnished  but  a  scanty  breakfast  for  the  party. 
Whilst  this  meal  was  preparing,  our  Canadian  voyagers,  who  had 
been  for  some  days  past  murmuring  at  their  meagre  diet,  and 
striving  to  get  the  whole  of  our  little  provision  to  consume  at 
once,  broke  out  into  open  discontent,  and  several  of  them  threat- 
ened they  would  not  proceed  forward  unless  more  food  was  given 
to  them.  This  conduct  was  the  more  unpardonable,  as  they  saw 
we  were  rapidly  approaching  the  fires  of  the  hunters,  and  that 


-<!/ 


v?i 


m 


,  tIS/ 

m  v 

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mm 

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■<*-■ 

JBt^^KB^EmjI 

I   -i-l        >■ 

14  A 


li)6 


A  JOURNEY    TO  THE   SHOKIS 


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ti  ■'itii 

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f-r-'gliT'f'' 


•!«■ 


provision  might  soon  be  expected.  I  therefore  fell  Uic  duty  in. 
cinnbent  on  nie,  to  ^drcss  them  in  the  strongest  manner  on  tho 
danger  of  insubordination,  and  to  assure  them  of  my  deterniiiu). 
tion  to  inflict  the  lieavicst  punishment  on  any  that  sliould  pctvsi:,! 
in  their  refusal  to  go  on,  or  in  any  other  way  attempt  to  rctnnl 
the  Kxpedition.  I  considered  this  decisive  stej)  necessary,  haviii"^ 
learned  from  the  gentlemen  most  intimately  acquainted  with  llic 
character  of  the  Canadian  voyagers,  that  they  invariably  try  Jiow 
far  they  can  impose  upon  every  new  master  with  whom  they  may 
serve,  and  that  they  will  continue  to  be  disobedient  and  intract- 
able if  they  once  gain  any  ascendency  over  him.  I  must  admit, 
liowever,  that  the  present  hardships  of  our  companions  were  of  a 
kind  which  few  cowld  support  without  murmuring,  and  no  one 
could  witness  without  feeling  a  sincere  pity  for  their  suflTerinj^s. 

After  this  discussion  \vc  went  forward  until  sunset.  In  Hie 
course  of  the  day  we  crossed  seven  lakes  and  as  many  porta!i;ns. 
Just  as  we  had  encamped,  we  were  delighted  to  sec  four  of  the 
hunters  arrive^  with  the  flesh  of  two  rein-deer.  This  seasonable 
supply,  though  only  suflficient  for  this  evening's  and  the  next 
day's  consumption,  instantly  revived  the  spirits  of  our  compa- 
nions, and  they  immediately  forgot  all  their  cares.  As  we  did 
not,  after  this  period,  experience  any  deficietu  y  of  food  during 
this  journey,  they  worked  extremely  well,  and  never  again  re- 
flected upon  us  as  they  had  done  before,  for  rashly  bringing  them 
into  an  inhospitable  country,  where  the  means  of  subsistence 
could  not  be  procured. 

Several  blue  fish,  resembling  the  grayling,  were  caught  in  a 
stream  which  flows  out  of  Hunter's  Lake.  It  is  remarkable  for 
the  largeness  of  its  dorsal  fine,  and  the  beauty  of  its  colours. 

tdugiist  14. — Having  crossed  the  Hunter's  Portage,  we  entered 
the  lake  of  the  same  name  in  latitude  64°  6'  4V"  N.,  longitude 
113*  25'  00"  W.,  but  soon  quitted  it  by  desire  of  the  Indian 
guide,  and  diverged  more  to  the  eastward,  that  we  might  get  into 
the  line  upon  which  our  hunters  had  gone.  This  was  the  only 
consideration  that  could  have  induced  us  to  remove  to  a  chain  of 
small  lakes,  connected  by  long  portages.  We  crossed  three  of 
tliese,  and  then  were  obliged  to  encamp  to  rest  the  men.    The 


€ 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


107 


counlry  is  bare  of  wood  except  u  few  dwarf  birch  bushes,  which 
,rio\v  near  tlie  borders  of  tl)e  lakes,  and  here  and  there  a  few  stunted 
pines;  and  our  fuel  principally  consisted  of  the  roots  of  decayed 
pines,  which  we  had  some  diiliculty  to  collect  in  suHicient  (pian- 
(ity  for  cookinj;.  When  this  material  is  wanting,  the  rein-deer 
lichen  and  other  mosses  that  grow  in  profusion  on  the  {gravelly 
acclivities  of  the  hills,  arc  used  as  substitutes.  Three  more  of  the 
hunters  arrived  with  meat  this  evening,  which  supply  came  very 
opportunely,  as  our  nets  were  unproductive.  At  eight  P.M.  a 
faint  Aurora  Borealis  appeared  to  the  southward,  the  night  was 
cold,  the  wind  strong  from  N.W. 

We  were  detained  some  time  in  the  following  morning  before 
the  fishing-nets,  which  had  sunk  in  the  night,  could  be  recovered. 

After  starting  we  first  crossed  the  Orkney  Lake,  then  a  portage 
which  brought  us  to  Sandy  Lake,  and  here  we  missed  one  of  our 
barrels  of  powder,  which  the  steersman  of  the  canoe  then  recol- 
lected had  been  left  yesterday.  He  and  two  other  men  were  sent 
back  to  search  for  it,  in  the  small  canoe.  The  rest  of  the  party 
proceeded  to  the  portage  on  the  north  side  of  the  Grizzle-Bear 
Lake,  where  the  hunters  had  made  a  deposit  of  meat,  and  there 
encamped  to  await  tneir  return,  which  happened  at  nine  P.M. 
with  the  powder.  We  perceived,  from  the  direction  of  this  lake, 
that  considerable  labour  would  have  been  spared  if  we  had  con- 
tinued our  course  yesterday  instead  of  striking  off  at  the  guide's 
suggestion,  as  the  bottom  of  this  lake  cannot  be  far  separated  from 
cither  Hunter's  Lake  or  the  one  to  the  westward  of  it.  The  chief 
and  all  the  Indians  went  off  to  hunt,  accompanied  by  Pierre  St. 
Germain,  the  interpreter.  They  returned  at  night  bringing  some 
meat,  and  reported  that  they  had  pat  the  carcasses  of  several  rein- 
deer en  cache.  These  were  sent  for  early  next  morning,  and  as 
the  weather  was  unusually  warm,  the  thermometer  at  noon  being 
77°,  we  remained  stationary  all  day,  that  the  women  might  pre- 
pare the  meet  for  keeping,  by  stripping  the  flesh  from  the  bones, 
and  drying  it  in  the  sun  over  a  slow  fire.  The  hunters  were 
again  successful,  and  by  the  evening  we  had  collected  the  carcasses 
of  seventeen  deer.  As  this  was  a  sufficient  store  to  serve  us  until 
we  arrived  at  Winter  Lake,  the  chief  proposed  that  he  and  his 


i  ■?  Vr 


:&l 


\Y\. 


SI 


-  y 


198 


A    JOURNKY    TO    THE    SirORtS 


^      ,        ' 


luinlcrs  should  proceed  to  thiit  place,  and  collect  some  provision 
against  our  arrival.  IIo  also  recpiesled  that  we  would  allow  luni 
lo  be  absent  ten  days  to  provide  his  family  with  clolhing,  as  ihc 
skin  of  the  rein-deer  is  unlit  for  tliat  purpose  after  the  nionth  ot 
September.  We  could  not  refuse  to  grant  such  a  reasonal)!,.  ^j,. 
(juest,  hut  caused  St.  Gerniairt  to  accompany  him,  that  his  absence 
might  notcxceetl  the  appointed  time.  Previous  to  his  depaituro, 
the  chief  warncil  us  to  be  constantly  on  our  guanl  against  the 
grizzly  bears,  which  he  descrii)ed  as  being  numerous  in  \\]\^ 
vicinity,  anil  very  ferocious ;  one  had  b('en  seen  to-day  by  an  In. 
dian,  to  which  circumstance  the  lake  owes  its  appellation.  \V(. 
afterwards  learned,  that  the  only  bear  in  this  part  of  the  country 
is  the  brown  bear,  and  that  they  by  no  means  possess  the  ferocity 
which  the  Indians  ascribe  to  them  with  their  usual  love  of  oxa;^;^e- 
ration.  The  fierce  grizzly  bear,  which  frequents  the  sources  ol 
the  Missouri,  is  not  found  on  the  barren  grounds. 

The  shores  of  this  lake  and  the  neighbouring  hills  are  princi- 
pally  composed  of  sand  and  gravel ;  they  are  much  varied  in  their 
outline,  and  present  some  picturescpie  scenery. 

The  following  observations  were  taken  here :  latitude  ()4°  IT)'  17 
N.,  longitude  113"  2'  30"  VV.,  variation  of  the  compass  3(r  50'  17  ' 
E.,  and  dip  of  the  needle  vST"  iiO'  35". 

On  August  the  17th,  having  finished  drying  the  meat,  which 
had  been  retarded  by  the  heavy  showers  of  rain  that  fell  in  the 
morning,  we  embarked  at  one  P.M.  and  crossed  two  lakes  and 
two  portages.  The  last  of  these  was  two  thousand  and  sixty-six 
paces  long,  and  very  rugged,  so  that  the  men  were  much  fatigued. 
On  the  next  day  we  received  the  flesh  of  four  rein-deer  by  the 
small  canoe  which  had  been  sent  for  it  yesterday,  and  heard  that 
the  hunters  had  killed  several  more  deer  on  our  route.  We  siiw 
many  of  those  animals  as  we  passed  along  to-day  ;  and  our  cditi- 
panions,  delighted  with  the  prospect  of  having  food  in  abundance, 
now  began  to  accompany  their  paddling  with  singing,  which  they 
had  discontinued  ever  since  our  provisions  became  scarce.  Wc 
passed  from  one  small  lake  to  another  over  four  portages,  then 
crossed  a  lake  about  six  miles  in  diameter,  and  encamped  on  its 
border,  where,  finding  pines,  we  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  a  good 


i   'Ir^P 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


15)f> 


tire,  which  we  had  not  ilonc  for  some  tlays.  At  ten  P.M.  the 
aurora  horcalis  ap[Hured  very  hrilliant  in  an  arch  across  the 
/eiiith,  Iroin  north-west  to  south-east,  whicii  afterwards  gave  place 
to  a  boaulifid  corona  horealis. 

,>lui(U,sl  1!>. — After  crossing  a  portai^e  of  five  hundred  and 
iiincty-live  paces,  a  small  lake  and  another  portage  of  two  thou- 
siinil  paces,  which  occu|)ied  the  crews  seven  hours,  we  embarked 
on  a  small  stream,  runnini^  towards  the  north-west,  which  carried 
lis  to  the  lake,  where  Akaitcho  proposed  that  we  should  pass  the 
winter.  The  oflicers  ascended  several  of  the  loftiest  hills  in  the 
cciirsc  of  the  day,  prompted  by  a  natural  anxiety  to  cxuminc  the 
spot  which  was  to  be  their  residence  for  many  months.  The 
|)ros|)ccl,  however,  was  not  then  the  most  agreeable,  as  the  bor- 
ders of  the  lake  seemed  to  be  scantily  furnished  with  wood,  and 
that  of  a  kind  too  small  for  the  purposes  of  building. 

Wc  perceived  the  smoke  of  a  distant  fire  which  the  Indians 
suppose  had  been  made  by  some  of  the  Dog-ribbed  tribe,  who  oc- 
rasionally  visit  this  part  of  the  country. 

Embarking  at  seven  next  morning,  we  paddled  to  the  western 
(Xtrcmity  of  the  lake,  and  there  found  a  small  river,  which  flows 
uiit  of  it  to  the  S.VV.  To  avoid  a  strong  rapid  at  its  commence- 
ment, we  made  a  portage,  and  then  crossed  to  the  north  bank  of 
the  river,  where  the  Indians  recommended  that  the  winter  cstab- 
lislimcnt  should  be  erected,  and  we  soon  found  that  the  situation 
lliey  had  chosen  possessed  all  the  advantages  we  could  have  de- 
sired. The  trees  were  numerous,  and  of  a  far  greater  size  than 
ue  had  sujjposed  them  to  be  yesterday.  Some  of  the  pines  being 
thirty  or  forty  feet  high,  and  two  feet  in  diameter  at  the  root. 
Wc  determined  on  placing  the  house  on  the  summit  of  the  bank, 
which  commands  a  beautiful  prospect  of  the  surrounding  country. 
Tlie  view  in  the  front  is  bounded  at  the  distance  of  three  miles, 
by  round-backed  hills;  to  the  eastward  and  westward  lie  the 
Winter  and  Round-rock  Lakes,  which  are  connected  by  the  Win- 
ter River,  whose  banks  are  well  clothed  with  pines,  and  orna- 
mented with  a  profusion  of  mosses,  lichens,  and  shrubs. 

In  the  afternoon  we  read  divine  service,  and  offered  our  thanks- 
giving to  the  Almighty  for  his  goodness  in  having  brought  us 


Ml 


L>00 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


US'.  J  "^  ^''k 


life/',  ri'l 

f  if  fir*,  |i:-vt1*t 


thus  far  on  our  journey ;  a  duty  which  we  never  neglected,  when 
stationary  on  the.  sabbath. 

The  united  length  of  the  portages  we  have  crossed,  since  leav- 
ing Fort  Providence,  is  twenty-one  statute  miles  and  a  half;  and 
as  our  men  had  to  traverse  each  portage  four  times,  with  a  load  of 
one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds,  and  return  three  times  light,  they 
waiJied  in  the  whole  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miies. 
The  total  length  of  our  voyage^from  Chipewyan  is  five  hundred 
and  fifty-three  miles.*  , 

A  fire  was  made  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  to  inform  the 
chief  of  our  arrival,  which  spreading  before  a  strong  wind,  caught 
the  whole  wood,  and  we  were  completely  enveloped  in  a  cloud  ol 
smoke  for  the  three  following  days. 

On  the  next  morning  our  voyagers  were  divided  into  two  par. 
lies,  the  one  to  cut  the  wood  for  the  building  of  a  store-house,  and 
the  other  to  fetch  the  meat  as  fast  as  the  hunters  procured  it.  An 
interpreter  was  sent  with  Keskarrah,  the  guide,  to  search  for  the 
Indians  who  had  made  the  fire  seen  on  Saturday,  from  whom  we 
might  obtain  some  supplies  of  provision.  An  Indian  was  also  des- 
patched to  Akaitcho,  with  directions  for  him  to  come  hither  di- 
rectly, and  bring  whatever  provision  he  had,  as  we  were  desirous 
of  proceeding,  without  delay,  to  the  Copper-Mine  River.  In  the 
evening  our  men  brought  in  the  carcasses  of  seven  rein-deer. 
Avhich  two  hunters  had  shot  yesterday,  and  the  women  commenc- 
ed drying  the  meat  for  our  journey.  We  also  obtained  a  good 
supply  of  fish  from  our  nets  to-day. 

A  heavy  rain,  on  the  23d,  prevented  the  men  from  working, 
either  at  the  building,  or  going  for  meat;  but  on  the  next  day  the 
weather  was  fine,  and  they  renewed  their  labours.    The  thermo- 


Stony  and  Slave  Rivers  .... 

Slave  Lake  ...... 

Yellow-Knife  River        ..... 

Barren  country  between  the  source  of  the  Yellow-Knife 
River  and  Fort  Enterprizc 


Statute  Miles. 

260 
-    107 

156.5 


29.5 


5.53 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


aoi 


meter,  that  day,  did  not  rise  higher  than  42°,  and  it  fell  to  31° 
before  midnight.     On  the  morning  of  the  25th,  we  were  surprized 
by  some  early  symptoms  of  the  approach  of  winter ;  the  small 
nob!   were  frozen  over,  and  a  flock  of  geese  passed  to  the  south- 
(varcl.     In  the  afternoon,  however,  a  fog  came  on,  which  after- 
wards changed  into  rain,  and  the  ice  quickly  disappeared.     We 
siifibrcd  great  anxiety  all  the  next  day  respecting  John  Hepburn, 
who  had  gone  to  hunt  before  sunrise  on  the  25th,  and  been  ab- 
sent ever  since.     About  four  hours  after  his  departure  the  wind 
changed,  and  a  dense  fog  obscured   every  mark  by  which  his 
course  to  the  tents  could  be  directed,  and  we  thought  it  probable 
be  had  been  wandering  in  an  opposite  direction  to  our  situation, 
as  tiie  two  hunters,  who  had  been  sent  out  to  look  for  him,  re- 
turned at  sunset  without  having  seen  him.  Akaitcho  arrived  with 
his  party,  and  we  were  greatly  disappointed  at  finding  they  had 
stored  up  only  fifteen  rein-deer  for  us.     St.  Germain  informed  us, 
that  having  heard  of  the  death  of  the  chief's  brother-in-law,  they 
had  spent  several  days  in  bewailing  his  loss,  instead  of  hunting. 
We  learned  also,  that  tiie  decease  of  this  man  had  caused  another 
party  of  the  tribe,  who  had  been  sent  by  Mr.  Wentzel  to  prepare 
provision  for  us  on  the  bc.uks  of  the  Copper-Mine  River,  to  re- 
move to  the  shores  ot  the  Great  Bear  Lake,  distant  from  our  pro- 
posed route.     JVIortifying  as  these  circumstances  were,  they  pro- 
duced less  painful  sensations  than  we  experienced  in  the  evening, 
by  the  refusal  of  Akaitcho  to  accompany  us  in  the  proposed  de- 
scent of  the  Copper-Mine  River.     When  Mr.  Wentzel,  by  my 
direction,  communicated  to  him  my  intention  of  proceeding  at 
once  on  that  service,  he  desired  a  conference  with  me  upon  the 
subject,  which  being  immediately  granted,  he  began  by  stating, 
I  hat  the  very  attempt  would  be  rash  and  dangerous,  as  the  weather 
was  cold,  the  leaves  were  falling,  some  geese  had  passed  to  the 
southward,  and  the  winter  would  shortly  set  in ;  and  that,  as  he 
considered  the  lives  of  all  who  went  on  such  a  journey  would  be 
forfeited,  he  neither  would  go  himself,  nor  permat  his  hunters  to 
accompany  us.     He  said  there  was  no  wood  within  eleven  days' 
march,  during  which  time  we  could  not  have  any  fire,  as  the  moss, 
nhich  the  Indians  use  in  their  summer  excursions,  would  be  ton 

r  (! 


i;^: 


m 


30ii 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


dv'f': 


>'.t 


*,'1' 


i  .' 


';  '^  ','■: 


wet  for  burning,  is:  consequence  of  the  recent  rains  ;  that  we  shouioi 
be  forty  days  in  descending  the  Copper-Mine  River,  six  of  which 
would  be  expended  in  getting  to  its  banks,  and  that  we  might  be 
blocked  up  by  the  ice  in  the  next  moon  ;  and  during  the  whole 
journey  the  party  must  experience  great  suffering  for  want  ot 
food,  as  the  rein-deer  had  already  left  the  river. 

He  was  now  reminded  that  these  statements  were  very  differ. 
ent  from  the  account  he  had  given,  both  at  Port  Providence  and 
on  the  route  hither ;  and  that,  up  to  this  moment,  we  had  been 
encouraged  by  his  conversation  to  expect  that  the  party  might  de- 
scend the  Copper-Mine  River,  accompanied  by  the  Indians.  He 
replied,  that  at  the  former  place  he  had  been  unacquainted  with 
our  slow  mode  of  travelling,  and  that  the  alteration,  in  his  opi- 
nion, arose  from  the  advance  of  winter. 

We  now  informed  him,  that  we  were  provided  with  instruments 
by  which  we  could  ascertain  the  state  of  the  air  and  water,  and 
that  we  did  not  imagine  the  winter  to  be  so  near  as  he  supposed: 
however,  we  promised  to  return  on  discovering  the  first  change 
in  the  season.  He  was  also  told  that  all  the  baggage  being  left  be- 
hind, our  canoes  would  now,  of  course,  travel  infinitely  more 
expeditiously  than  any  thing  he  had  hitherto  witnessed.  Akait- 
cho  appeared  to  feci  hurt,  that  we  should  continue  to  press  the 
matter  further,  and  answered  witli^some  warmth  :  "  Well,  I  have 
said  every  thing  I  can  urge,  to  dissuade  you  from  going  on  this 
service,  on  which,  it  seems,  you  wish  to  sacrifice  your  own  lives, 
as  well  as  the  Indians  who  might  attend  you  :  however,  if  after 
all  I  have  said,  you  are  determined  to  go,  some  of  my  young  men 
shall  join  the  party,  because  it  shall  not  be  said,  that  we  permit 
ted  you  to  die  alone  after  having  brought  you  hither;  but  from 
the  moment  they  embark  in  the  canoes,  I  and  my  relatives  shall 
lament  them  as  dead." 

We  could  only  reply  to  this  forcible  appeal,  by  assuring  him 
and  the  Indians  who  were  seated  around  him,  that  we  felt  the 
most  anxious  solicitude  for  the  safety  ot  every  individual,  and  that 
it  was  far  from  our  intention  to  proceed  v.ithout  considering  every 
argument  for  and  against  the  proposed  journey. 

We  next  informed  him,  that  it  would  be  very  desirable  to  ^ce 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


203 


•he  nvcr  at  any  rate,  that  we  might  give  some  positive  informa- 
tion about  its  situation  and  size,  in  our  next  letters  to  the  great 
chief;  and  that  we  were  very  anxious  to  get  on  its  banks  for  the 
purpose  of  observing  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  which  we  described  to 
him,  and  said  would  happen  in  a  few  days.     He  received  this 
communication  with  more  temper  than  the  preceding,  though  he 
immediately  assigned  as  a  reason  for  his  declining  to  go,  that 
"  the  Indians  must  now  procure  a  sufficient  quantity  of  deer-skins 
for  winter  clothing  for  themselves,  and  di-esses  for  the  Canadians, 
who  would  need  them  if  they  had  to  travel  in  the  winter." 
Finding  him  so  averse  to  proceed,  and  feeling,  at  the  same  time, 
jiovv  essential  his  continuance  with  us  was,  not  only  to  our  future 
success,  but  even  to  our  existence  during  the  winter ;  I  closed  the 
conversation  here,  intending  to  propose  to  him  next  morning  some 
modification   of  the  plan,  which   might  meet  his  approbation. 
Soon  after  we  were  gone,  however,  he  informed  Mr.  Wentzel, 
with  whom  he  was  in  the  habit  of  speaking  confidentially,  that  as 
his  advice  was  neglected,  his  presence  was  useless,  and  he  should, 
therefore,  return  to  Fort  Providence  with  his  hunters,  after  he  had 
collected  some  winter  provision  for  us.     Mr.  Wentzel  having  re- 
ported this  to  me,  the  night  was  passed  in  great  anxiety,  and  after 
weighing  all  the  arguments  that  presented  themselves  to  my  mind, 
I  came  reluctantly  to  the  determination  of  relinquishing  the  inten- 
tion of  going  any  distance  down  the  river  this  season.     I  had  con- 
sidered, that  could  we  ascertain  what  were  the  impediments  to 
the  navigation  of  the  Copper-Mine  River,  what  wood  grew  on  its 
banks,  if  fit  for  boat-building,  and  whether  drift  timber  existed 
where  the  country  was  naked,  our  operations  next  season  would 
be  much  facilitated ;  but  we  had  also  cherished  the  hope  of  reach- 
ing the  sea  this  year,  for  the  Indians  in  their  conversations  with 
lis,  had  only  spoken  of  two  great  rapids  as  likely  to  obstruct  us. 
This  was  a  hope  extremely  painful  to  give  up,  for  in  the  event  of 
success  we  should  have  ascertained  whether  the  sea  was  clear  of 
ice,  and  navigable  for  canoes ;  have  learned  the  disposition  of  the 
Esquimaux ;  and  might  have  obtained  other  information  that  would 
have  had  great  influence  on  our  future  proceedings. 
I  must  confess,  however,  that  my  opinion  of  the  probability  of 


I.     " 


\^ 


rt 


S.-M  J 


* 


;^04 


A    .rOUKNi:V  TO  THE  SHORES 


»;  4:  It  ■"-     IfJ'Ct     -  ' 


pii  n,!' 


1,,.  ■  i'('»i-  li!!;?!' 


our  being  able  to  obtain  so  great  a  desideratum  this  season,  hmj 
been  somewhat  altered  by  the  recent  changes  in  the  weather 
although,  had  the  chief  been  willing  to  accompany  ns  with  lii^ 
party,  I  should  have  made  the  attempt;  with  the  intention,  how. 
ever,  of  returning  immediately  upon  the  first  decided  appearance 
of  winter. 

On  the  morning  of  August  27th,  having  communicated  my  sen- 
timents to  the  officers,  on  the  subject  of  the  conference  last  even- 
ing, they  all  agreed  that  the  descent  to  the  sea  this  season  could 
not  be  attempted,  without  hazarding  a  complete  rupture  will)  the 
Indians;  but  they  thought  that  a  party  should  be  sent  to  ascertain 
the  distance  and  size  of  the  Copper-Mine  River.  These  o))inion', 
being  in  conformity  with  my  own,  I  determindcd  on  despatclijn" 
Messrs.  Back  and  Hood  on  that  service,  in  a  light  canoe,  as  soon 
as  possible. 

We  witnessed  this  morning  an  instance  of  the  versatility  of  oiu 
Indian  companions,  which  gave  us  much  uneasiness,  as  it  regarded 
the  safety  of  our  faithful  attendant  Hepburn.     When  they  heard, 
on  their  arrival  last  night,  of  his  having  been  so  long  absent,  tliey 
expressed  the  greatest  solicitude  about  him,  and  the  whole  party 
immediately  volunteered  to  go  in  search  of  him  as  soon  as  day- 
light permitted.     Their  resolutions,  however,  seemed  to  have  been 
changed,  in  consequence  of  the  subsequent  conversation  we  had 
with  the  chief,  and  we  found  all  of  them  indisposed  to  proceed  on 
that  errand  this  morning,  and  it  was  only  by  much  entreaty,  that 
three  of  the  hunters  and  a  boy  were  prevailed  upon  to  go.     They 
fortunately  succeeded  in  their  search,  and  we  were  infinitely  re- 
joiced to  see  Hei)burn  return  with  them  in  the  afternoon,  though 
much  jaded  by  the  fatigue  he  had  undergone.     He  had  got  bewil- 
dered, as  we  had  conjectured,  in  the  foggy  weather  on  the  25th, 
and  had  been  wandering  about  ever  since,  except  during  half  an 
hour  that  he  slept  yesterday.     He  had  eaten  only  a  partridge  and 
some  berries,  for  his  anxiety  of  mind  had  deprived  him  of  appe- 
tite ;  and  of  a  deer  which  he  had  shot,  he  took  only  the  tongue, 
and  the  skin  to  protect  himself  from  the  wind  and  rain.     This 
anxiety,  we  learned  from  him,  was  occasioned  by  the  fear  that 
the  party  which  was  about  to  descend  the  Copper-Mine  River, 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


'JO,') 


inij^ht  be  detained  until  he  was  found,  or  that  it  might  have  de- 
parted without  him.  He  did  not  entertain  any  dread  of  the  white 
bears,  of  whose  numbers  and  ferocious  attacks  the  Indians  had 
been  constantly  speaking,  since  we  had  entered  the  barren  grounds. 
Our  fears  for  his  safety,  however,  were  in  a  considerable  degree 
excited  by  the  accounts  we  had  received  of  these  animals.  Ilav- 
;:icr  made  a  hearty  supper  he  retired  to  rest,  slept  soundly,  and 
arose  next  morning  in  perfect  health. 

On  the  2Sth  of  August,  Akaitcho  was  informed  of  our  intention 
to  send  the  party  to  the  river,  and  of  the  reasons  for  doing  so,  of 
which  he  approved,  when  he  found  that  I  had  relinquished  the 
idea  of  going  myself,  in  compliance  with  the  desire  which  he  and 
the  Indians  had  expressed ;  and  he  immediately  said  two  of  the 
hunters  should  go  to  provide  them  with  food  on  the  journey,  and 
10  serve  as  guides.  During  this  conversation  we  gathered  from 
him,  for  the  first  time,  that  there  might  still  be  some  of  his  tribe 
near  to  the  river,  from  whom  the  party  could  get  provision.  Our 
next  object  was  to  despatch  the  Indians  to  their  hunting  ground 
to  collect  provision  for  us,  and  to  procure  the  fat  of  the  deer  for 
our  use  during  the  winter,  and  for  making  the  pcmmican  we  should 
require  in  the  spring.  They  were  therefore  furnished  with  some 
ammunition,  clothing,  and  other  necessary  articles,  and  directed 
to  take  their  departure  as  soon  as  possible. 

Akaitcho  came  into  our  tent  this  evening  at  supper,  and  made 
several  pertinent  inquiries  respecting  the  eclipse,  of  which  we  had 
spoken  last  night.  He  desired  to  know  the  effect  that  would  be 
produced,  and  the  cause  of  it,  which  we  endeavoured  to  explain ; 
and,  having  gained  this  information,  he  sent  for  several  of  his  com- 
panions, that  they  might  also  have  it  repeated  to  them.  They 
were  most  astonished  at  our  knowing  the  time  at  which  this  event 
should  happen,  and  remarked,  that  this  knowledge  was  a  striking 
proof  of  the  superiority  of  the  whites  over  the  Indians.  We  took 
advantage  of  this  occasion  to  speak  to  them  respecting  the  Supreme 
Being,  who  ordered  all  the  operations  of  nature,  and  to  impress 
on  their  minds  the  necessity  of  paying  strict  attention  to  their 
moral  duties,  in  obedience  to  his  will.  They  readily  assented  to 
all  these  points,  and  Akaitc'.io  assured  us  that  both  himself  and 


#1 


H 


»)f  »<; 


/ 


206 


A  JOURNET  TO  THE  SHORES 


im 


'■m 


I'liiiff' 


'■iS 


his  young  men  would  exert  themselves  in  obtaining  provision  for 
us,  in  return  for  the  interesting  communications  we  had  just  made 
to  them. 

Having  received  a  supply  of  dried  meat  from  the  Indian  lodges 
we  were  enabled  to  equip  the  party  for  the  Copper-Mine  River 
and  at  nine  A.M.,  on  the  29th,  Mr.  Back  and  Mr.  Hood  embark- 
ed on  that  service  in  a  light  canoe,  with  St.  Germain,  eight  Cana- 
dians, and  one  Indian.  We  could  not  furnish  them  with  more 
than  eight  days'  provision,  which,  with  their  blankets,  two  tents 
and  a  few  instruments,  composed  their  lading.  Mr.  Back,  who 
had  charge  of  the  party,  was  directed  to  proceed  to  the  river,  and 
if,  when  he  arrived  at  its  banks,  the  weather  should  continue  to 
be  mild,  and  the  temperature  of  the  water  was  not  lower  than 
40°,  he  might  embark,  and  descend  the  stream  for  a  few  days,  to 
gain  some  knowledge  of  its  course,  but  he  was  not  to  go  so  far  as 
to  risk  his  returning  to  this  place  in  a  fortnight  with  the  canoe. 
But,  if  the  weather  should  be  severe,  and  the  temperature  of  the 
water  below  40",  he  was  not  to  embark,  but  return  immediately, 
and  endeavour  to  ascertain  the  best  track  for  our  goods  to  be  con- 
veyed thither  next  spring.  . 

We  had  seen  that  the  water  decreases  rapidly  in  temperature  at 
this  season,  and  I  feared  that,  if  he  embarked  to  descend  the  river 
when  it  was  below  40°,  the  canoe  might  be  frozen  in,  and  the 
crew  have  to  walk  back  in  very  severe  weather. 

As  soon  as  the  canoes  had  started,  Akaitcho  and  the  Indians 
took  their  departure  also,  except  two  of  the  hunters,  who  staid 
behind  to  kill  deer  in  our  neighbourhood,  and  old  Keskarrah  and 
his  family,  who  remained  as  our  guests. 

The  fishing-nets  were  this  day  transferred  from  the  river  in 
which  they  had  been  set  since  our  arrival,  to  Winter  Lake,  whither 
the  fish  had  removed,  and  the  fishermen  built  a  log-hut  on  its  bor- 
ders to  reside  in,  that  they  might  attend  more  closely  to  their  oc- 
cupation. 

The  month  of  September  commenced  with  very  disagreeable 
weather.  The  temperature  of  the  atmosphere  ranged  between 
39°  and  31°  during  the  first  three  days,  and  that  of  the  water  in 
the  river  decreased  from  49"  to  44*.      Several  rein-deer  and  a 


* 


OF  THE  POLAR   SEA. 


207 


large  flight  of  white  geese  passed  to  the  southward.  These  cir- 
cumstances led  us  to  fear  for  the  comfort,  if  not  for  the  safety,  of 
our  absent  friends.  On  the  4th  of  September  we  commenced 
building  our  dwelling-house,  having  cut  sufficient  wood  for  the 
frame  of  it. 

In  the  afternoon  of  September  the  6th,  we  removed  our  tent  to 
the  summit  of  a  hill,  about  three  miles  distant,  for  the  better  ob- 
serving the  eclipse,  which  was  calculated  to  occur  on  the  next 
morning.  We  were  prevented,  however,  from  witnessing  it  by 
a  heavy  snow-storm,  and  the  only  observation  we  could  then 
make  was  to  examine  whether  the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere 
altered  during  the  eclipse,  but  we  found  that  both  the  mercurial 
and  spirit  thermometers  remained  steadily  at  30°  for  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  previous  to  its  commencement,  during  its  continuance, 
and  for  half  an  hour  subsequent  to  its  termination ;  we  remarked 
the  wind  increased  very  much,  and  the  snow  fell  in  heavier  flakes 
just  after  the  estimated  time  of  its  commencement.  This  boiste- 
rous weather  continued  until  three  P.M.,  when  the  wind  abated, 
and  the  snow  changed  to  rain. 

As  there  was  now  no  immediate  occasion  for  my  remaining  on 
the  spot,  the  eclipse  being  over,  and  the  Indians  having  removed 
to  their  hunting  grounds,  Dr.  Richardson  and  I  determined  on 
taking  a  pedestrian  excursion  to  the  Copper-Mine  River,  leaving 
Mr.  Wentzel  in  charge  of  the  men,  and  to  superintend  the  build- 
ings. On  the  morning  of  September  the  9th  we  commenced  our 
journey  under  the  guidance  of  old  Keskarrah,  and  accompanied 
by  John  Hepburn  and  Samandrie,  who  carried  our  blankets,  cook- 
ing utensils,  hatchets,  and  a  small  supply  of  dried  meat.  Our 
guide  led  us  from  the  top  of  one  hill  to  the  top  of  another,  mak- 
ing as  straight  a  course  to  the  northward  as  the  numerous  lakes, 
with  which  the  country  is  intersected,  would  permit.  At  noon 
we  reached  a  remarkable  hill,  with  precipitous  sides,  named  by 
the  Copper  Indians  the  Dog-rib  Rock,  and  its  latitude,  64°  34' 
52''  S.,  was  obtained.  The  canoe-track  passes  to  the  eastward  of 
this  rock,  but  we  kept  to  the  westward,  as  being  the  more  direct 
course.  From  the  time  we  quitted  the  banks  of  Winter  River 
»ve  saw  only  a  few  detached  clumps  of  trees ;  but  after  we  passed 


^m 


'•*  li-i 


^'(Jij 


A  JOURNEY  TO   I'llE  SUORLS 


^M 


P.i 


^:|i;:a 


jj  ,, ,   , 


# *  :      .  •'■'■  '^";.  ^i^' 


if':,!--  |.IH^ti!'!i' 


11! 

mi 


■.ws 


Dog-rib  llock  even  these  disappeared,  and  we  travelled  IIuouit}, 
a  naked  country.  In  the  course  of  ihe  afternoon  Keskarrah  killed 
a  rein-deer,  and  loaded  himself  with  its  head  and  skin,  and  our 
men  also  carried  oil  a  few  pounds  of  its  flesii  for  supper  ;  but  iheii 
loads  were  altogcter  too  great  to  permit  them  to  take  much  acUli- 
tional  weight.  Keskarrah  offered  to  us  as  a  great  treat,  the  raw 
marrow  from  the  hind  legs  of  the  animal,  of  which  all  the  party 
ate  except  myself,  and  thought  it  very  good.  I  was  also  of  the 
same  opinion,  when  I  subsequently  conquered  my  then  loo  fasti- 
dious  taste.  We  halted  for  the  night  on  the  borders  of  a  small 
lake, •which  washed  tlie  base  of  a  ridge  of  sand-hills,  about 
three  hundred  feet  high,  having  walked  in  direct  distance  six- 
teen miles. 

There  were  four  ancient  pine-trees  here  which  did  not  exceed 
six  or  seven  feet  in  height,  but  whose  branches  spread  themselves 
01.*,  for  several  yards,  and  we  gladly  cropped  a  few  twigs  to  make 
a  bed  and  to  protect  us  from  the  frozen  ground,  still  white  from 
a  fall  of  snow  which  took  place  in  the  afternoon.  We  were  about 
to  cut  down  one  of  these  trees  for  firewood,  but  our  guide  solicit- 
ed us  to  spare  them,  and  made  us  understand  by  signs  that  they 
had  been  long  serviceable  to  his  nation,  and  that  we  ought  to 
content  ourselves  with  a  few  of  the  smaller  branches.  As  soon  as 
we  comprehended  his  request  we  complied  with  it,  and  our  at- 
tendants having,  with  sonie  trouble,  grubbed  up  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity of  the  roots  of  the  dwarf  birch  to  make  a  fire,  we  were  en- 
abled to  prepare  a  comfortable  supper  of  rein-deer's  meat,  which 
we  despatched  with  the  appetites  travelling  in  this  country  never 
fails  to  ensure.  We  thvn  stretched  ourselves  out  on  the  pine  brush, 
and  covered  by  a  single  blanket,  enjoyed  a  night  of  sound  repose. 
The  small  quantity  of  bed-clothes  we  carried  induced  us  to  sleep 
without  undressing  Old  Keskarrah  followed  a  different  plan . 
he  stripped  himself  to  the  skin,  and  having  toasted  his  body  for  a 
short  time  over  the  embers  of  the  fire,  he  crept  under  his  deer- 
skin and  rags,  previously  spread  out  as  smoothly  as  possible,  and 
coiling  himself  up  in  a  circular  form,  fell  asl  cp  instantly.  This 
custom  of  undressing  to  the  skin  even  when  lying  in  the  open  air 


V?i*^  V, 


OF  THE  POLAR  SKA. 


20i» 


is  common  to  all  the  Indian  tribes.     The  thermometer  at  sun-set 
stood  at  29°. 

Resumint;  our  journey  next  morning  we  pursued  a  northerly 
course,  but  had  to  make  a  considerable  circuit  round  the  western 
ends  of  two  lakes  whose  eastern  extremities  were  hidden  from  our 
view.  The  march  was  very  uncomfortable  as  the  wind  was  cold, 
and  there  was  a  constant  fall  of  snow  until  noon ;  and  our  guide 
100  presisted  in  taking  us  over  the  summit  of  every  hill  that  lay 
in  the  route,  so  that  we  had  the  full  benefit  of  the  bieeze. 

Wc  forded  two  streams  in  the  afternoon  flowing  between  small 
lakes,  and  being  wet,  did  not  much  relish  having  to  halt,  whilst 
Keskarrah  pursued  a  herd  of  rein-deer ;  but  there  was  no  alter- 
native, as  he  set  off  and  followed  them  witlwut  consulting  our 
wishes.  The  old  man  loaded  himself  with  the  skin,  and  some 
meat  of  the  animal  he  killed  in  addition  to  his  former  burden ; 
but  after  walking  two  miles,  finding  his  charge  too  heavy  for  his 
strena;th,  he  spread  the  skin  on  the  rock,  and  deposited  the  meat 
under  some  stones,  intending  to  pick  them  up  on  our  return. 

We  put  up  at  sunset  on  the  borders  of  a  large  lake,  having  come 
twelve  miles.  A  few  dwarf  birches  afforded  us  but  a  scanty  fire, 
yet  being  sheltered  from  the  wind  by  a  sandy  bank,  we  passed 
the  night  comfortably,  though  the  temperature  was  30°.  A  num- 
ber of  geese  passed  over  us  to  the  southward.  We  set  off  early 
next  morning,  and  marched  at  a  tolerably  quick  pace.  The  at- 
mosphere was  quite  foggy,  and  our  view  was  limited  to  a  short 
distance.  At  noon,  the  sun  shone  forth  for  a  few  minutes,  and 
the  latitude  64"  57'  7"  was  observed.  The  small  streams  that  we 
have  hitherto  crossed  run  uniformly  to  the  southward. 

At  the  end  of  sixteen  miles  and  a  half  we  encamped  amongst  a 
few  dwarf  pines,  and  were  much  rejoiced  at  having  a  good  fire,  as 
the  night  was  very  stormy  and  cold.  The  thermometer  fluctuat- 
ed this  day  between  31°  and  35°.  Though  the  following  morn- 
ing was  foggy  and  rainy,  we  were  not  sorry  to  quit  the  cold  and 
uncomfortable  bed  of  rock  upon  which  Ave  had  slep^t,  and  com- 
mence our  journey  at  an  early  hour.  After  walking  about  three 
miles,  we  passed  over  a  steep  sandy  ridge,  and  found  the  course 
of  the  rivulets  running  towards  the  north  and  north-east.     Our 

D  d 


I' 


iio 


\    .lOUUNKY    TH     ITII.    SIIOKKS 


pn>jj;n!ss  was  slow  in  the  early  part  of  the  inoininc;,  and  we  were 
(letaini'«l  for  two  hours  on  the  summit  of  a  hill  exposed  to  a  vor\ 
cold  wiml,  whilst  our  }!;tiide  went  in  an  unsuccessful   ptnsuit  o| 
some  rein-deer.    After  walkinji;  a  few  miles  farther,  the  foaj  clear- 
ed away,  and  Keskarrah  pointed  out  tlu;  ('o|)|)er-Mine  Ki\erata 
distance,  and  we  pushed  towards  it  with  all  the  s|)eed   v/o  could 
put  forth.     At  noon  we  airived  at  an  arm  of  Point  Lake,  an  ex- 
tensive expansion  of  the  river,  and  ohserved  the  latitude  fjf)^  f)' 
06"  N.    We  co^finued  our  walk  aloni;;  the  south  end  of  this  arm 
for  ahout  a  mile  further,   and  then    halted  to  hreakfast  amidst  a 
cluster  of  pines.     Here  the  longitude,  ll'^"  51'  25",  was  obscrv- 
ed.     After  hreakfast  we  set  out  and  walk«d  aloiii;;  the  east-side  of 
the  arm  towards  the  main  body  of  the  lake,  leavinj;  Samandrielo 
prepare  an  encampment  among  the  pines  a<:;ainst  our  return.    Wc 
found  the  main  chaimel  deep,  its  hanks  hij;h  and  rocky,  and  the 
valleys  on  its  borders  interspersed  with   clusters  of  spruce  trees. 
The  latter  circumstance  was  a  source  of  much  i;ralilication  to  us. 
The  temperature  of  its  surface  was  11",  that  of  the  air  bein;:;  4:{''. 
Havinu;  gained  all  the  information  we  coidd  collect  from  our  guide 
and  iVom  personal  observation,  we  retraced  our  stci)s  to  the  en- 
campment ;  and  on  the  way   back  Hepburn  and  Keskarrah  shot 
several  waveys  {u/utx  /ii/jwr/jorca,)  which  allorded  us  a  seasonable 
suj)ply,  our  stock  of  j)rovlsions  being  nearly  exhausted.     Tlusc 
birds  were  feeding  in  large  llocks  on  the  crowljcrries,  which  grew 
plentifully  on  the  sides  of  the  hills.     We  reached  the  encamp- 
ment after  dark,  found  a  comfortable  hut  j)reparcd  for  our  recep- 
tion, made  an   excellent  supper,  and  retired  to  bed,  and  slept 
soundly  though  it  snowed  hard  the  whole  night. 

The  hills  in  this  ncidibourhood  are  hii>;her  than  those  about  Fort 
Enterprize  :  they  stand,  however,  in  the  same  detatchcd  manner, 
without  forming  connected  ranges  ;  and  the  bottom  of  every  val- 
ley is  occupied,  either  by  a  small  lake  or  a  stony  marsh.  On  the 
borders  of  such  of  these  lakes  as  communicate  with  the  Cojjper- 
Mine  Rivcr„  there  are  a  lew  groves  of  spruce  trees,  generally 
growing  on  accumulations  of  sand,  on  the  acclivities  of  the  lulls. 

We  did  not  quit  the  encampment  on  the  morning  of  Septem- 
ber 13lh  until  nine  o'clock,  in  consc((ucnce  of  a  constant  fall  of 


M 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


iiU 


•now 


',  but  at  that  hour  we  set  otit  on  our  return  to  Fort  Kntor- 
i)ir/o,  and  tiikinu;  a  nwiln  soinewhal  <lilli'n:nt  i'nnn  ilu'  one  \>y 
vvlii<'l»  *vo  oamn,  k(!|)l  lo  the  (Mslwanl  of  a  chain  of  liilu.-s.  Soou 
■liter  noon  tho  weather  h(H!aniu  extremely  clisa.';ree:ihle  ;  a  coUl 
noi'tlu^rly  p;ale  canic  on,  alleiuUHl  hy  snow  anil  sleet;  and  the 
i(.in|)('raturc  lell  very  soon  from  4[r  to  '.il°.  'riie  waveys,  alarm- 
ed at  the  sudden  ehani!;e,  (lew  over  our  heads  in  ^reat  nunihers  to 
J  milder  climate.  We  walked  as  rjuickly  as  possible  to  jj;et  to 
a  place  that  would  furnish  some  fuel  anil  shelter;  but  the  (oy;  oc- 
casioned us  to  make  frequent  halls,  from  the  inability  of  our  guide 
to  trace  his  way.  At,  length  wc  came  to  a  spot  which  alforded  us 
plenty  of  dwarf  birches,  but  they  were  so  much  frozen,  and  the 
snow  fell  so  thick,  that  upwards  of  two  hours  were  wasted  in  en- 
deavouring to  make  a  lire ;  during  which  time  our  clothes  were 
freezing  upon  us.  At  length  our  cfl'orts  were  crowned  with  suc- 
cess, and  after  a  good  supper,  wc  laid,  or  rather  sal  down  to  sleep ; 
for  the  nature  of  the  ground  obliged  us  to  pass  the  night  in  a  demi- 
crect  i)Osition,  with  our  backs  against  a  bank  of  earth.  The  ther- 
mometer was  16°  at  six  P.M. 

After  enjoying  a  more  comfortable  night's  rest  than  we  had 
expected,  we  set  oil'  at  day-break  :  the  thermometer  then  standing 
at  18°.  The  ground  was  covered  with  snow,  the  small  lakes  were 
frozen,  and  the  whole  scene  had  a  wintry  appearance.  We  got 
oil  but  slowly  at  first,  owing  to  an  old  sprained  ancle,  which  had 
been  very  troublesome  lo  me  for  the  last  three  days,  and  was  this 
raornmg  excessively  painful.  In  fording  a  rivulet,  however,  the 
application  of  cold  water  gave  me  immediate  relief,  and  I  walked 
with  ease  the  remainder  of  the  day.  In  the  afternoon  we  rejoined 
our  track  outwards,  and  came  to  the  place  where  Keskarrah  had 
made  his  deposit  of  provision,  which  proved  a  very  acceptable 
supply,  as  our  stock  was  exhausted.  We  then  crossed  to  some 
sand  hills,  and  encamped  amidst  a  few  small  pines,  having  walked 
thirteen  miles.  . 

The  comfort  of  a  good  fire  made  us  soon  insensible  to  the  fa- 
ligue  we  had  experienced  through  the  day,  in  marching  over  the 
iiifiged  stones,  whose  surface  was  rendered  slippery  by  the  frost. 
The  thermometer  at  seven  P.M.  stood  at  27  \ 


1' ' ', 


I 

#1 


m  i 

^  .  fi. 

HK|3    ] 

i 

,|/  ^ 

Ir 

■-i 

l||mH 

^HB  WR 

"  ''l 

JMl'J'lw^ml 

|HW  \ 

i 

mm 

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A  JouRNFY  TO  'iiir.  siionr.r. 


U  li 


»,  V  1 


;.;'' 


I 


•  {, 


J/'li-H, 


Wo  srl  o(l*  at  simrisf  next  mornina;,  and  our  provision  licinn^ 
c'xpoiitlril,  [)iislioi|  on  as  (asl  as  wc  oojiltl  to  Kort  Kulcrpri/o, 
wluTf  uc  arrivi'd  at  ri^lil  l*.M..  almost  exhausted  by  a  lianiss- 
iii:;  day's  march  of  ts\nity-t\vo  miles.  A  sid)slaiitial  su|)|)er  of 
roiu-deer  steaks  soon  restored  otu'  vii!;oin'  We  had  tin*  ha|>|)iti(<)!; 
of  mectiiii!;  our  friends  Mr.  Hack  and  Mr.  Mood,  who  had  rc^turn- 
ed  from  their  exciirsiou  on  the  day  succeedint;  that  on  whi^h  wo 
set  out  ;  and  1  receive  tl  from  them  the  followiii};  account  of  Iheji 
journey. 

They  proceeded  up  the  \Vinter  Wiver  to  the  north  end  of  the 
Martin  Lake,  and  then  the  ^iiide,  Iumo";  unac(piaint(;(l  willi  tlir, 
route  hy  water  to  the  Copper-Mine  Uiver,  pi-oposed  that  the  ca- 
noe should  he  left.  I'pon  this  they  a.seen»led  the  loftiest  hill  in 
tlie  neighbourhood,  to  examine  whether  they  could  discover  any 
larije  lakes,  or  water  communication  in  the  direcition  which  tho 
guide  |)oinled  the  river  to  be.  Thoy  only  saw  a  small  rivulet, 
which  was  too  shallow  for  the  canoe,  and  also  wide  of  the  course; 
and  as  they  perceived  the  crew  would  have  to  carry  it  over  a  ru^- 
geil  hilly  track,  they  Judii-iowsly  decided  on  leaving  it,  and  pro- 
cecdina;  forwards  on  foot.  Ilavinii;  deposited  the  canoe  anions; a 
few  dwarf  birch  bushes,  they  commenced  their  march,  carrying 
the  tents,  blankets,  cooking  utensils,  and  a  part  of  the  dried  nicat. 
St.  Germain,  however,  had  previously  delineated  vvith  charcoal, 
a  man  aud  a  house  on  a  |)icco  of  bark,  which  he  placed  over  the 
canoe  and  the  few  things  that  were  left,  to  point  out  to  the  Dog- 
.Ribs  that  they  belonged  to  white  people. 

The  party  reached  the  shores  of  Point  Ijako,  through  which  the 
Copper-Mine  Hivei-  runs,  on  the  1st  of  Scj)tcmher.  The  next  day 
was  too  stormy  for  them  to  march,  hut  on  the  'M\,  they  proceeded 
along  its  shore  to  the  westward,  round  a  mountainous  j)romon- 
tory,  and  perceiving  the  course  of  the  lake  extending  to  the  W. 
N.W.,  they  encamped  near  some  pines,  and  then  Hrst  enjoyed  the 
luxury  of  a  good  fuc,  since  their  departure  from  us.  The  t<'m- 
peratnre  of  the  water  in  the  lake  was  .3/)°,  and  of  the  air  .'}2'\  but 
the  latter  fell  to  iO"  in  the  course  of  that  night.  As  their  prin- 
cipal object  was  to  ascertain  whether  any  arm  of  the  lake  branch- 
ed nearer  to  Fort  Enterprizc  than  the  part  they  had  fallen  upon, 


OF  Tnr.  I'OT.AR  sr.A, 


iil;< 


10  wliioli  Iho  tranN|)()i'l  ol'  our  "^oods  could  \u'.  moni  i-asily  iiiiulo 
iicxl  spiiiiij;,  tln'V  ii'linnud  on  its  boidms  to  i\\v  «!isl\\;ird,  hciiij; 
satislu'd,  by  Ihv  apiK-araiKrc  ol'  llii;  tiioiiiilaitis  hclwccn  south  and 
ivrst,  thai  no  rurdifr  oxaiuiualiou  was  iiciM'ssaij  in  that  direct  ion; 
;iti(l  they  continued  tlieii-  march  until  the  tith  at  nuun,  without 
liiidin:;;  any  part  of  the  lake  inclining;  nearer  to  the  Cort.  'I'lioy 
tlKMcfore  encani|)ed  to  ohservc  the  <'clipse,  vvhi<;h  was  to  take 
nlaco  on  th(!  roiiowint;'  nuu'iiin;:; ;  l)ut  a  violent  snow  storm  ren- 
(Iciiiiij;  IIjl*  ohsorvalion  inipossihie,  they  r,onnnence«l  their  retin-n, 
,inil  alter  a  ('omrortless  and  lahorions  march  re«i!;ained  their  canoe 
uii  the  loth,  and  emharkinm  in  it,  arrived  the  same  evening  at  the; 
house. 

Point  Lake  varied,  as  far  as  they  traced,  from  one  to  throe 
miles  in  wiilth.  Its  main  coui'.s(!  was  nearly  east  and  west,  hut 
several  arnis  hranclHMJ  oil'  in  diUcrenl  directions.  A  sketch,  hy 
Mr.  Hood,  of  the  party  when  they  lirst  ^ot  si!i;ht  of  I'oinl  l^akc, 
conveys  an  ac(Mn'ate  representation  of  their  nmde  of  travelling, 
iind  of  the  ehar;icter  of  the  country.  1  was  nmch  pleased  with 
the  ahle  nianner  in  which  tluisi*  oniciirs  executed  the  survict;  they 
had  Ix^en  <lespntched  upon,  and  was  yiralilied  to  learn  from  them, 
thai  their  coni[)anions  had  conducted  themselves  extretnely  well, 
and  borne  the  falij;nes  of  their  joni-ney  (liosl  cheerfully.  'I'hcy 
jcarcely  ever  had  more  than  snlVicient  fuel  to  boil  the  kettle  ;  and 
were  i«;enerally  obli;i;ed  to  lie  down  in  their  wet  clothes,  and  con- 
sequently, sullered  much  from  (iold. 

The  distance  which  the  parties  have  travelled,  in  their  journey 
to  and  from  Point  Lake,  may  he  estimated  at  one  hundred  and 
ten  statute  miles,  which  beini^  added  to  the  distances  given  in  the 
preceding  pages,  will  amount  to  one  thousand  live  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  that  the  expedition  has  travelled  in  IbiiO,  up  to  the 
lime  of  its  residence  at  Fort  Enterprizc. 


# 


l:r'^-::> 


^(1 


urn 


'^'<i. 


R!j 


iil4 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THS  SHORES 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


i: 


■  ■.'»,.■ 


^fs«' 


,Kb;M 


[  TO  'Si 


i   'f 


Vi        S;        \^f^i 


.',     ^    .     .    .'   1       I 


Transactions  at  Fort  Enterprize — Mr.  Back's  Narrative  of  his  .Journey  to  Chi- 

pewjan  and  Return. 

September.  During  our  little  expedition  to  the  Copper-Mine 
River,  Mr.  Wentzel  had  made  great  progress  in  tke  erection  of 
our  winter-house,  having  nearly  roofed  it  in.  But  before  pro- 
ceeding to  give  an  account  of  a  ten  months'  residence  at  this  place, 
henceforth  designated  Fort  Enterprize,  1  may  premise,  that  I  shall 
omit  many  of  the  ordinary  occurrences  of  a  North-American  win- 
ter, as  they  have  been  already  detailed  in  so  able  and  interesting 
a  manner  by  Ellis*,  and  confine  myself  principally  to  the  circum- 
stances which  had  an  influence  on  our  progress  on  the  ensuing 
summer. 
#  The  men  continued  to  work  diligently  at  the  house,  and  by  the 

30th  of  September  had  nearly  completed  it  for  our  reception, 
when  a  heavy  fall  of  rain  washed  the  greater  part  of  the  mud  off 
tl  e  roof.  This  rain  was  remarked  by  the  Indians  as  unusual, 
after  what  they  had  deemed  so  decided  a  commencement  of  win- 
ter in  the  early  part  of  the  month.  The  mean  temperature  for 
the  month  was  33i%  but  the  thermometer  had  sunk  as  low  as  16°, 
and  on  one  occasion  risen  to  53°. 

Besides  the  party  constantly  employed  at  the  house,  two  men 
were  appointed  to  fish,  and  others  were  occasionally  sent  for  meat 
as  the  hunters  procured  it.  This  latter  employment,  although 
extremely  laborious,  was  always  relished  by  the  Canadians,  as 
they  never  failed  to  use  a  prescriptive  right  of  helping  themselves 
to  the  fattest  and  most  delicate  parts  of  the  deer.     Towards  the 

*  Voyage  to  Hudson's  Bay  in  tlie  Dobbs  and  California. 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


215 


end  of  tlie  liionth,  the  rein-deer  began  to  quit  tlie  barren  gi'oiuuls, 
and  came  into  the  vicinity  of  the  house,  on  their  way  to  the  woods; 
and  the  success  of  the  hunters  being  consequently  j^reat,  the  ne- 
cessity of  sending  for  the  meat  considerably  retarded  the  building 
of  the  house.  In  the  mean  time  we  resided  in  our  canvass  tents, 
,vhi''h  proved  very  cold  habitations,  although  we  maintained  a 
fire  in  front  cf  them,  and  also  endeavoured  to  protect  ourselves 
from  the  piercing  winds  by  a  barricade  of  pine  branches. 

On  the  6th  of  October,  the  house  being  completed,  we  struck 
our  tents,  and  removed  into  it.  It  was  merely  a  log  building, 
fifty  feet  long,  and  twenty-four  wide,  divided  into  a  Jiall,  three 
bed-rooms,  and  a  kitchen.  The  walls  and  roof  wove  /plaster- 
ed with  clay,  the  floors  laid  with  planks  rudely  squared  with 
the  hatchet,  and  the  windows  closed  with  parchment  of  deer  skin. 
The  clay,  which,  from  the  coldness  of  the  weather,  rccjuired  to  be 
tempered  before  the  fire  with  hot  water,  froze  as  it  was  daubed 
on,  and  afterwards  cracked  in  such  a  manner  as  to  admit  the  wind 
from  every  quarter ;  yet,  compared  with  the  tents,  our  new  habi- 
tation appeared  comfortable ;  and  having  filled  our  capacious  clay- 
built  chimney  with  fagots,  we  spent  a  cheerful  evening  before  the 
invigorating  blaze.  The  change  was  peculiary  beneficial  to  Dr. 
Richardson,  who  having,  in  one  of  his  excursions,  incautiously 
laid  down  on  the  frozen  side  of  a  hill  when  heated  with  walking, 
had  caught  a  severe  inflammatory  sore  throat,  vvluch  becamedaily 
worse  whilst  we  remained  in  the  tents,  but  began  to  amend  soon 
after  he  was  enabled  to  confine  himself  to  the  more  equable 
warmth  of  the  house.  We  took  up  our  abode  at  first  on  the  floor, 
but  our  working  party,  who  had  shewn  such  skill  as  house-car- 
penters, soon  proved  themselves  to  be,  with  the  same  tools,  the 
hatchet  and  crooked  knife,  excellent  cabinet-makers,  and  daily 
added  a  table,  a  chair,  or  bedstead,  to  the  (comforts  of  our  estab- 
lishment. The  crooked  knife,  generally  made  of  an  old  fde,  bent 
and  tempered  by  heat,  serves  an  Indian  or  Canadian  voyager  foi* 
plane,  chissel,  and  auger.  With  it  the  snow-shoe  and  canoe-tim- 
bers are  fashioned,  the  deals  of  their  sledges  reduced  to  the  re- 
quisite thinness  and  polish,  and  their  wooden  howls  and  spoons 


m 


^ 


216 


\    .TOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


3;    -(••!'  i!;: 


t  -i^Hifi;;:: 


hollowed  out.  Indeed,  thoup;li  not  quite  so  requisite  for  existence 
as  the  hatchet,  yet  without  its  aid  there  would  be  little  comfort  in 
these  wilds. 

On  the  7th  wc  were  gratified  by  a  sight  of  the  sun,  aiter  it  had 
been  obscured  for  twelve  days.  On  this  and  the  several  fojlowincr 
days  the  meridian  sun  melted  the  light  covering  of  snow  or  hoa 
frost  on  the  lichens,  which  clothe  the  barren  grounds,  and  render- 
ed them  so  tender  as  to  attract  great  herds  of  rein-deer  to  our 
neighbourhood.  On  the  morning  of  the  lOth  I  estimated  the 
numbers  I  saw  during  a  short  walk,  at  upwards  of  two  thousand. 
They  form  into  herds  of  different  sizes,  from  ten  to  a  hundred, 


sepa- 


according  as  their  fears  or  accident  induce  them  to  unite  or 
rate. 

The  females  being  at  this  time  more  lean  and  active,  usually 
lead  the  van.  The  haunches  of  the  males  are  now  covered  t(.  the 
depth  of  two  inches  or  more  with  fat  which  is  beginning  o  . 
red  and  high  flavoured,  and  is  considered  a  sure  indication  of  the 
commencement  of  the  rutting  season.  Their  horns,  which  in  the 
middle  of  August  were  yet  tender,  have  now  attained  their  pro- 
per size,  and  are  beginning  to  lose  their  hairy  covering  which 
hangs  from  them  in  ragged  filaments.  The  horns  of  the  rein-deer 
vary,  not  only  with  its  sex  and  age,  but  are  otherwise  so  uncer- 
tain in  their  growth,  that  they  are  never  alike  in  any  two  indi- 
viduals. The  old  males  shed  theirs  about  the  end  of  December; 
the  females  retain  them  until  the  disappearance  of  the  snow  ena- 
bles them  to  frequent  the  barren  grounds,  which  may  be  stated 
to  be  about  the  middle  or  end  of  May,  soon  after  which  period 
they  proceed  towards  the  sea-coast  and  drop  their  young.  The 
young  males  lose  their  horns  about  tbe  same  time  with  the  fe- 
males or  a  little  earlier,  some  of  them  as  early  as  April.  The 
hair  of  the  rein-deer  falls  in  July,  and  is  succeeded  by  a  short 
thick  to^t  of  mingled  clove,  deep  reddish,  and  yellowish  browns; 
the  belly  and  under  parts  of  the  neck,  &c.,  remaining  white.  As 
the  winter  approaches  the  hair  becomes  longer,  and  lighter  in  its 
colours,  and  it  begins  to  loosen  in  May,  being  then  much  worn  on 
the  sidps,  from  the  animal  rubbing  itself  against  trees  and  stones. 


Wi 


'  f  ■?('■" . 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


217 


it  becomes  greyish  and  almost  white,  belbre  it  is  completely 
shed.  The  Indians  form  their  robes  of  the  skins  procured  it)  au- 
tumn, when  the  hair  is  short.  Towards  the  spring  the  larvae  of 
the  oestrus  attaining  a  large  size,  produce  so  many  perforations  in 
the  skins,  that  they  are  good  for  nothing.  The  cicatrices  only  of 
these  holes  ire  to  he  seen  in  August,  but  a  fresh  set  of  ova  have  in 
:he  mean  time  been  deposited.*  .?> 

The  rein-deer  retire  from  the  sea  coast  in  July  and  August,  but 
in  October  on  the  verge  of  the  barren  grounds,  and  shelter  them- 
selves in  the  woods  during  the  winter.  They  are  often  induced 
by  a  few  fine  days  in  winter,  to  pay  a  transitory  visit  to  their  fa- 
vourite pastures  in  the  barren  country,  but  their  principal  move- 
ment to  the  northward  commences  generally  in  the  end  of  April, 
when  the  snow  first  begins  to  melt  on  the  sides  of  the  hills,  and 
early  in  May,  when  large  patches  of  the  ground  are  visible,  they 
are  on  the  banks  of  the  Copper-Mine  River.  The  females  take 
the  lead  in  this  spring  migration,  and  bring  forth  their  young  on 
the  sea  coast  about  the  end  of  May  or  beginning  of  June.  There 
are  certain  spots  or  passes  well  known  to  the  Indians,  through 
which  the  deer  invariably  pass  in  their  migrations  to  and  from  the 
coast,  and  it  has  been  observed  that  they  always  travel  against  the 
wind.  The  principal  food  of  the  rein-deer  in  the  barren  grounds, 
consists  of  the  cetraria  nivalis  and  cucullata,  cenomyce  rangife- 
rim,  cornicularia  ochrileuca,  and  other  lichens,  and  they  also  eat 
the  hay  or  dry  grass  which  is  found  in  the  swamps  in  autumn. 
In  the  woods  they  feed  on  the  different  lichens  which  hang  from 
i'Birers.  They  are  accustomed  to  gnaw  their  fallen  antlers,  and 
:t.u<  also  to  devour  mice. 

i '  e  weight  of  a  full  grown  barren-ground  deer,  exclusive  of 
the  oifalv,  varies  from  ninety  to  one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds. 

*"It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  in  the  month  of  May  a  veiy  great  number 
of  large  larvae  ?xist  under  the  mucoui  membrane  at  the  root  of  the  tongue, 
and  posterior  part  of  the  nares  and  pharynx.  The  Indians  consider  them  to 
belong  to  the  same  species  with  the  oestrus,  that  deposits  its  ova  under  the 
skin  j  to  us  the  larvae  of  the  former  appeared  more  flattened  than  those  of  the 
latter.  Specimens  of  both  kinds,  preserved  in  spirits,  were  destroyed  by  the 
equ^^nt  falls  they  received  on  the  portages." — Dii.  Kichauuson's  Journal. 

Ec 


"i 


li 


318 


A  .lOURNLY   TO  THE   SdORLS 


>Wr'r;'-,"'!:U':,v'fn  t  fi'• 


There  is,  however,  a  much  larger  kind  found  in  the  woody  mn, 
of  Ihe  country,  whoso  carcass  weighs  from  two  hundred  to  fwc 
hundred  and  forty  pounds.  This  kind  never  leaves  the  woods. 
but  its  skin  is  as  much  perforated  by  the  gad-fly  as  that  of  the 
others ;  a  presumptive  proof  that  the  smaller  species  are  not  driven 
to  the  sea  coast  by  the  attacks  of  that  insect.  There  are  a  few 
rein-deer  occasionally  killed  in  the  spring,  whose  skins  are  entire. 
and  these  are  always  fat,  whereas  the  others  arc  lean  at  that 
season.  The  gad-fly  does  not  confine  its  attacks  to  the  skin  ol 
the  back,  but  deposits  its  oifa  in  the  mucous  membrane  also, 
which  lines  the  nostrils  and  fauces.  This  insect  likewise  infests 
the  red-('eer  {ivawaskecsh,)  but  its  ova  are  not  found  in  the  skin 
of  the  lose,  or  buffalo,  nor,  as  we  have  been  informed,  of  tiie 
sheep  anil  that  inhabit  the  Rocky  Mountains,  although  the 

rein-deer  foui  in  those  parts,  (which  hy  the  way,  are  of  an  un- 
usually large  kind,)  are  as  much  tormented  by  them  as  the  barren- 
ground  variety. 

The  herds  of  rein-deer  are  attended  in  their  migrations  by  bands 
of  wolves,  which  destroy  a  great  many  of  them.  The  Copper 
Indians  kill  the  rein-deer  in  the  summer  with  the  gun,  or  takins; 
advantage  of  a  favourable  disposition  of  the  ground,  they  enclose 
a  herd  upon  a  neck  of  land,  and  drive  them  into  a  lake,  where 
they  fall  an  easy  prey  ;  but  in  the  rutting  season  and  in  the  spring, 
when  they  are  numerous  on  the  skirts  of  the  woods,  they  catch 
them  in  snares.  The  snares  are  simple  nooses,  formed  in  a  rope 
made  of  tvvi.sted  sinew,  which  arc  placed  in  the  aperture  of  a  slight 
hedge,  constructed  of  the  branches  of  trees.  This  hedge  is  dis- 
posed so  as  to  form  several  winding  compartments,  and  although 
it  is  by  no  means  strong,  yet  the  deer  seldom  attempt  to  break 
through  It.  Tiie  herd  is  led  into  the  labyrinth  by  two  converging 
lows  of  poles,  and  one  is  generally  caught  at  each  of  the  openings 
by  the  noose  placed  there.  The  hunter,  too,  lying  in  ambush, 
stabs  some  of  thcrn  with  his  bayonet  as  they  pass  by,  and  the 
whole  herd  frequently  becomes  his  prey.  Where  wood  is  scarce. 
a  piece  of  turf  turned  up  answers  the  purpose  of  a  pole  to  conduct 
them  towards  the  snares. 

The  rein-deer  has  a  quick  eye,  but  the  hunter  by  keeping  to 


fllil 


%w^- 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


219 


leeward  and  using  a  little  caution,  may  approach  very  near ;  their 
apprehensions  being  much  more  easily  roused  by  the  smell  than 
the  sight  of  any  unusual  object.  Indeed  their  curiosity  often 
causes  them  to  come  close  up  to  and  wiieel  round  1  he  hunter; 
thus  affordi  j;  him  a  good  opportunity  of  singling  out  the  fattest 
of  the  herd  ;  and  upon  these  occasions  they  often  become  so  con- 
fused by  the  shouts  and  gestures  of  their  enemy,  that  they  run 
backwards  and  forwards  with  great  rapidity,  but  without  the 
power  of  making  their  escape. 

The  Copper  Indians  (ind  by  experience  that  a  white  dress  at- 
tracts them  most  readily,  and  they  often  succeed  in  bringing  them 
within  shot,  by  kneeling  and  vibrating  the  gun  from  side  to  side, 
in  imitation  of  the  motion  of  a  deer's  horns  when  he  is  in  the  act 
of  rubbing  his  head  against  a  stone. 

The  Dog-rib  Indians  have  a  mode  of  killing  these  animals, 
which,  though  simple,  is  very  successful.     It  was  thus  described 
by  Mr.  Wentzel,  who  resided  long  amongst  that  people.     The 
hunters  go  in  pairs,  the  foremost  man  carrying  in  one  hand  the 
horns  and  part  of  the  skin  of  the  head  of  a  deer,  and  in  the  other 
a  small  bundle  of  twigs,  against  which  he,  from  time  to  time,  rubs 
the  horns,  imitating  the  gestures  peculiar  to  the  animal.     His  com- 
rade follows,  treading  exactly  in  his  footsteps,  and  holding  the 
guns  of  both  in  a  horizontal  position,  so  that  the  muzzles  project 
under  the  arms  of  him  who  carries  the  head.     Both  hunters  have 
a  fillet  of  white  skin  round  their  foreheads,  and  the  foremost  has 
a  strip  of  the  same  kind  round  his  wrists.     They  approach  the 
herd  by  degrees,  raising  their  legs  very  slowly,  but  setting  them 
down  somewhat  suddenly,  after  the  manner  of  a  deer,  and  always 
taking  care  to  lift  their  right  or  left  feet  simultaneously.     If  any 
of  the  herd  leave  off  feeding  to  gaze  upon  this  extraordinary  phe- 
nomenon, it  instantly  stops,  and  the  head  begins  to  play  its  part 
by  licking  its  shoulders,  and  performing  other  necessary  move- 
ments.    In  this  way  the  hunters  attain  the  very  centre  of  the  herd 
without  exciting  suspicion,  and  have  leisure  to  single  out  the  fat- 
test.    The  hindmost  man  then  pushes  forward  his  comrade's  gun, 
the  head  is  dropt,  and  they  both  fire  nearly  at  the  same  instant. 
The  herd  scampers  off,  the  hunters  trot  after  them :  in  a  short 


I 


Ml 


'i20 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


III  s  ■ 


il.)i 


'W  1.1 


« 


time  the  poor  animals  halt  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  tiieir  terror, 
their  I'oes  stop  at  the  same  instant,  and  having  loaded  as  they  ran, 
greet  the  srnzers  with  a  second  fatal  discharge.  The  consternation 
of  the  deer  increases,  they  run  to  and  fro  in  the  utmost  confusion, 
and  sometimes  a  great  part  of  the  herd  is  destroyed  within  llip 
space  of  a  few  hundred  yards. 

A  party  who  had  heen  sent  to  Akaitcho  returned,  bringing; 
three  hundred  and  seventy  pounds  of  dried  meat,  and  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  pounds  of  suet,  together  with  the  unpleasant  in- 
formation,  that  a  still  larger  quantity  of  the  latter  article  had  been 
found  and  carricnl  off,  as  he  supposed,  by  some  Dog-ribs,  who  had 
passed  that  way. 

'J'he  weather  becoming  daily  colder,  all  the  lakes  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  house  were  completely,  and  the  river  pariially. 
frozen  over  by  the  middle  of  the  month.  The  rein-deer  now  be- 
gan to  quit  us  for  more  southerly  and  better  sheltered  pastures. 
Indeed,  their  longer  residence  in  our  neighbourhood  would  have 
been  of  little  service  to  us,  for  our  ammunition  was  almost  com- 
pletely ex])ended,  although  we  had  dealt  it  of  late  with  a  ver}- 
sparing  hand  to  the  Indians.  We  had,  however,  already  secured 
in  the  store-house  the  carcasses  of  one  hundred  deer,  together 
with  one  thousand  pounds  of  suet,  and  some  dried  meat;  and  had 
more  over  eighty  deer  stowed  up  at  various  distances  fror.i  the 
house.  The  necessity  of  employing  the  men  to  build  a  n  juse  for 
themselves  before  the  weather  became  too  severe,  obliged  us  to 
put  the  latter  en  cache,  as  the  voyagers  term  it,  instead  of  adopt- 
ing the  more  safe  plan  of  bringing  them  to  the  house.  Putting 
a  deer  en  cache,  means  merely  protecting  it  against  the  wolves, 
and  still  more  destructive  wolverenes,  by  heavy  loads  of  wood  or 
stones  ;  the  latter  animal,  however,  sometimes  digs  underneath 
the  pile,  and  renders  the  precaution  abortive. 

On  the  18th,  Mr.  Back  and  Mr.  Wentzel  set  out  for  Fort  Pro- 
vidence, accompanied  by  Beauparlant,  Belanger,  and  two  Indians, 
Akaiyazza  and  Thoolezzth,  with  their  wives,  the  Little  Forehead, 
and  the  Smiling  Marten.  JNIr.  Back  had  volunteered  to  go  and 
make  the  necessary  anangemcnts  for  transporting  the  stores  we 
expected  from  Cumberland  House,  and   to  endeavour  to  obtaii> 


# 


K^K' 


OF   THE    POLAR    SEA. 


221 


•ome  additional  supplies  from  the  establishments  at  Slave  Lake. 
If  any  accident  should  have  prevented  the  arrival  of  our  stores, 
and  the  establishments  at  Moose-deer  Island  should  be  unable  to 
supply  the  deficiency,  he  was,  if  he  found  himself  equal  to  the 
task,  to  proceed  to  Chipewyan.  Ammunition  was  essential  to 
our  existence,  and  a  considerable  supply  of  tobacco  was  also  re- 
quisite, not  only  for  the  comfort  of  the  Canadians,  who  use  it 
laigely,  and  had  stipulated  for  it  in  their  engagements,  but  also  as 
a  means  of  preserving  the  friendship  of  the  Indians.  Blankets, 
cloth,  and  iron-work,  were  scarcely  less  indespensable  to  equip 
our  men  for  the  advance  next  season. 

Mr.  Wentzel  accompanied  Mr.  Back,  to  assist  him  in  obtain- 
ing from  the  traders,  on  the  score  of  old  friendship,  that  which 
they  might  be  inclined  to  deny  to  our  necessities.  I  forwarded 
by  them  letters  to  the  Colonial  Office  and  Admiralty,  detailing 
the  proceedings  of  the  Expedition  up  to  this  period. 

On  the  22d  we  were  surprised  by  a  visit  from  a  dog  ;  the  poor 
animal  was  in  a  low  condition,  and  much  fatigued.  Our  Indians 
discovered  by  marks  on  his  ears,  that  he  belonged  to  the  Dog-ribs. 
This  tribe,  unlike  the  Chipewyans  and  Copper  Indians,  had  pre- 
served that  useful  associate  of  man,  although  from  their  frequent 
intercourse  with  the  latter  people,  they  were  not  ignorant  of  the 
prediction  alluded  to  in  a  former  page.  One  of  our  interpreters 
was  immediately  despatched,  with  an  Indian,  to  endeavour  to  trace 
out  the  Dog-ribs,  whom  he  supposed  might  be  concealed  in  the 
neighbourhood  from  their  dread  of  the  Copper  Indians  ;  although 
we  had  no  doubt  of  their  coming  to  us,  were  they  aware  of  our 
being  here.  The  interpreter,  however,  returned  without  having 
discovered  any  traces  of  strange  Indians ;  a  circumstance  which 
led  us  to  conclude,  that  the  dog  had  strayed  from  his  masters  a 
considerable  time  since. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  month  the  men  completed  their  house, 
and  to6k  up  their  abode  in  it.  It  was  thirty-four  feet  long  and 
eighteen  feet  wide ;  was  divided  into  two  apartments,  and  was 
placed  at  right  angles  lo  the  oflicers'  dwelling,  and  facing  the 
store-house :  the  three  buildings  forming  three  sides  of  a  quad- 


I 


raugle. 


i^ 


si32 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


litifrp 


/' 


M-^L 


On  the  26th  Akaitcho  and  his  party  arrived,  the  huntiujr  ^^ 
this  neighbourhoood  being  terminated  for  the  season,  by  the  deei 
having  retired  to  the  southward  to  shelter  themselves  in  the 
woods. 

The  arrival  of  this  large  party  was  a  serious  inconvenience  to 
us,  from  our  being  compelled  to  issue  them  daily  rations  of  pro- 
vision  from  the  store.  The  want  of  ammunition  prevented  us 
from  equipping  and  sending  them  to  the  woods  to  hunt ;  and  al- 
though they  are  accustomed  to  subsist  themselves  for  a  consi. 
derable  part  of  the  year  by  fishing,  or  snaring  the  deer,  without 
having  recourse  to  fire-arms,  yet  on  the  present  occasion,  they 
felt  little  inclined  to  do  so,  and  gave  scope  to  their  natural  love  ot 
ease,  as  long  as  our  store-house  seemed  to  be  well  stocked.  Never- 
theless, as  they  were  conscious  of  impairing  our  future  resources 
they  did  not  fail,  occasionally,  to  remind  us  that  it  was  not  their 
fault,  to  express  an  ardent  desire  lo  go  a  hunting,  and  to  request 
a  supply  of  ammunition,  although  they  knew  that  it  was  not  in 
our  power  to  give  it. 

The  summer  birds  by  this  time  had  entirely  deserted  us,  leav- 
ing, for  our  winter  companions,  the  raven,  cinereous  crow,  ptar- 
migan, and  snow-bird.  The  last  of  the  water-fowl  that  quitted 
us  was  a  species  of  diver,  of  the  same  size  with  the  colymbui 
arcticusy  but  differing  from  it  in  the  arrangement  of  the  white 
spots  on  its  plumage,  and  in  having  a  yellowish  white  bill.  This 
bird  was  occasionally  caught  in  our  fishing  nets. 

The  thermometer  during  the  month  of  October,  at  Fort.  Enter- 
prize,  never  rose  above  37*,  nor  fell  below  5° ;  the  mean  tempera- 
ture for  the  month  was  23°. 

In  the  beginning  of  October  a  party  had  been  sent  to  the  west- 
ward to  search  for  birch  to  make  snow-shoe  frames,  and  the  In- 
dian women  were  afterwards  employed  in  netting  the  shoes  and 
preparing  leather  for  winter  clothing  to  the  men.  Roi)es  of  rein- 
deer skins  were  also  obtained  from  the  Indians,  and  issued  to  (he 
men  who  were  to  travel,  as  they  are  not  only  a  great  deal  lighter 
than  blankets,  but  also  much  warmer,  and  altogether  better  adapt- 
ed for  a  winter  in  this  climate.  They  are,  however,  unfit  for 
summer  use,  as  the  least  moisture  causes  the  skin  to  spoil,  and 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


223 


lose  ils  hair.     It  requires  the  skins  of  seven  deer  to  make  one 
robe.    The  finest  are  made  of  the  skins  of  young  fawns. 

The  fishing,  having  failed  as  the  weather  became  more  severe, 
was  given  up  on  the  5th.  It  had  procured  us  about  one  thousand 
two  hundred  ivhitejish,  from  two  to  three  pounds  each.  There 
lire  two  other  species  of  salmo  in  Winter  I^ake  ;  liack^a  grayling 
and  the  round  fish,  and  a  few  trout,  pike,  rnethye,  and  red  cmp, 
were  also  occasionally  obtained  from  the  nets.  It  may  be  worthy 
of  notice  here,  that  the  fish  froze  as  they  were  taken  out  of  the 
nets,  in  a  short  time  became  a  solid  mass  of  ice,  and  by  a  blow  or 
two  of  the  hatchet  were  easily  split  nnp«>,  when  the  intestines 
might  be  removed  in  one  lump.  If  in  this  completely  frozen  state 
they  were  thawed  before  the  fire,  they  recovered  their  animation. 
This  was  particularly  the  case  with  the  carp,  and  we  had  occasion 
to  observe  it  repeatedly,  as  Dr.  Richardson  occupied  himself  in 
examining  the  structure  of  the  difierent  species  of  fish,  and  was 
always,  in  winter,  under  the  necessity  of  thawing  them  before 
he  could  cut  them.  We  have  seen  a  carp  recover  so  far  as  to 
leap  about  with  much  vigour,  after  it  had  been  frozen  for  thirty- 
six  hours. 

From  the  12th  to  the  16th  we  had  fine,  and  for  the  season 
warm,  weather,  and  the  deer,  which  had  not  been  seen  since  the 
26th  of  October,  re-appeared  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  house, 
10  the  surprise  of  the  Indians,  who  attributed  their  return  to  the 
barren  grounds,  to  the  unusual  mildness  of  the  season.  On  this 
occasion,  by  melting  some  of  our  pewter  cups,  we  managed  to 
furnish  five  balls  to  each  of  the  hunters,  but  they  were  all  ex- 
pended unsuccessfully,  except  by  Akaitcho,  who  killed  two  deer. 

By  the  middle  of  the  month  Winter  River  was  firmly  frozen 
over,  except  the  small  rapid  at  its  commencement,  which  i-emain- 
ed  open  all  the  winter.  The  ice  on  the  lake  was  now  nearly  tv  'o 
feet  thick.  After  the  16th  we  had  a  succession  of  cold,  snowy, 
and  windy  weather.  We  had  become  anxious  i  >  hear  of  the  ar- 
rival of  Mr.  Back  and  his  party  at  Fort  Providence.  The  Indians, 
who  had  calculated  the  period  at  which  a  messenger  ought  to  have 
returned  from  thence  to  be  already  passed,  became  impatient  when 
it  had  elapsed,  and  with  their  usual  love  of  evil  augury  torment- 


,-#f 


■1,  l4- 

it; 


224 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THi;    SHORES 


i    •     <  '.if 


0 


!  I 


It' 


ed  us  by  their  melancholy  forebodings.      At  one  time  ilicy  con- 
jectured  that  the   whole  party   had  fallen   through  the  ice-  at 
another,  that  they  been  waylaid  and  cut  off  by  the  Do'Mi'n. 
In  vain  did  we  urge  the  improbability  of  the  former  accident 
or  the  peaceable  character  of  the  Dog-ribs,  so  little  in  conlbi- 
mity  with  the  latter.     "  The  ice  at  this  season  was  deceitful " 
they  sai<l,  "  and  the  J)og-iibs,  though  unwarlike,  were  treacher- 
ous."    These  assertions,  so  often  repeated,  had  some  efl'ect  upon 
the  spirits  of  our  Canadian  voyagers,  who  seldom  weigh  any 
opinion  they  adopt;  but  we  prcsisted  in  treating  their  fears  as 
chimerical,  for  had  we  seemed  lo  listen  to  them  for  a  moment,  it 
is  more  than  probable  that  the  whole  of  our  Indians  would  have 
i^one  to  Fort  Providence  in  search  of  supplies,  from  whence  we 
jshould  have  found  it  extremely  difficult  to  have  recov»:;red  them. 

The  matter  was  put  to  rest  by  the  appearance  of  L  '^nger  on 
the  morning  of  the  23d,  and  the  Indians,  now  running  into  the 
opposite  extreme,  were  disposed  to  give  us  more  credit  for  our 
judgment  than  we  deserved.  They  had  had  a  tedious  and  fa- 
tigding  journey  to  Fort  Providence,  and  for  some  days  were  des- 
titute of  provisions. 

Belanger  anived  alone ;  he  had  walked  constantly  for  the  last 
six-and-thirty  hours,  leaving  his  Indian  companions  encamped  at 
the  last  woods,  they  being  unwilling  to  accompany  him  across 
the  barren  grounds  during  the  storm  that  had  prevailed  for  seve- 
ral days,  and  blew  with  unusual  violence  on  the  morning  of  his 
arrival.  His  locks  were  matted  with  snow,  and  he  wasincrusted 
with  ice  from  head  to  foot,  so  that  we  scarcely  reco^^jnized  him 
when  he  burst  in  upon  us.  We  welcomed  him  with  the  usual 
shake  of  the  hand,  but  were  unable  to  give  him  the  glass  of  rum 
which  every  voyager  receives  on  his  arrival  at  a  trading  post. 

As  soon  as  his  packet  was  thawed,  we  eagerly  opened  it  to 
obtain  our  English  letters.  The  latest  were  dated  on  the  pre- 
ceding April.  They  came  by  way  of  Canada,  and  were  brought 
up  in  September  to  Slave  Lake  by  the  North- V/est  Company's 
canoes. 

We  WP'''*  not  so  fortunate  with  regard  to  our  stores ;  of  ten 
pieces  which  had  been  sent  from  York  Factory  by  Governor 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


22r, 


Williams,  five  of  the  most  essential  had  been  left  at  the  Grand 
Rapid  on  the  Saskatchawan,  owing,  as  far  as  we  couUl  judge  from 
the  accounts  that  reached  us,  to  the  misconduct  of  the  oflicer  to 
whom  they  were  intrusted,  and  who  was  ordered  to  convey 
them  to  Cumberland  House.  Being  overtaken  by  some  of  the 
North-West  Company's  canoes,  he  had  insisted  on  their  taking 
lialf  of  his  charge  as  it  was  intended  for  the  service  of  Govern- 
ment. The  North-West  gentlemen  objected,  that  their  canoes 
had  already  got  a  cargo  in,  and  that  iliiy  had  been  rc([uested  only 
to  convey  our  stores  from  Cumberland-House  where  they  had  a 
canoe  waiting  for  the  purpose.  The  Hudson's-Bay  oflicer  upon 
this  deposited  our  ammunition  and  tobacco  upon  the  beach,  and 
departed  without  any  regard  to  the  serious  consequences  that 
might  result  to  us  from  the  want  of  them.  The  Indians,  who  as- 
sembled at  the  opening  of  the  packet,  and  sat  in  silence  watching 
our  countenances,  were  necessarily  made  acquainted  with  the 
non-arrival  of  our  stores,  and  bore  the  intelligence  with  unexpect- 
ed tranquillity.  We  took  care,  however,  in  our  communications 
with  them  to  dwell  upon  the  more  agreeable  parts  of  our  intel- 
ligence, and  they  seemed  to  receive  particular  pleasuvf  jn  being 
informed  of  the  arrival  of  two  Esquimaux  interpreters  at  Slave 
Lake  on  their  way  to  join  the  party.  The  circumstance  not  only 
quieted  their  fears  of  opposition  from  the  Esquimaux  on  our  de- 
scent to  the  sea  next  season,  but  also  afforded  a  substantial  proof 
of  our  influence  in  being  able  to  bring  two  people  of  that  nation 
from  such  a  distance. 

Akaitcho,  who  is  a  man  of  great  penetration  and  shrewdness, 
duly  appreciated  these  circumstances ;  indeed  he  has  often  sur- 
prised us  by  his  correct  judgment  of  the  character  of  individuals 
amongst  the  traders  of  our  own  party,  although  his  knowledge  of 
their  opinions  was,  in  most  instances,  obtained  through  the  im- 
perfect medium  of  interpretation.  He  was  an  attentive  observer, 
however,  of  every  action,  and  steadily  compared  their  conduct 
with  their  pretensions. 

By  the  newspapers  we  learnt  the  demise  of  our  revered  and 
lamented  sovereign  George  HI.,  and  the  proclamation  of  Georgq 
IV.    We  concealed  this  intelligence  from  the  Indians,  lest  the 

Ff 


''^- 


WTli  lit 


22H 


A    JOURNEY   TO    THE    SHORES 


death  of  their  p;roat  Father  might  lead  ihcin  to  suppose  that  \\f. 
shoidd  he  unahle  to  tuilil  our  promises  to  them. 

The  Indians  vvlio  had  left  Fort  Providence  with  Hclani^er  ar 
rived  the  (hiy  after  him,  and,  amongst  other  intelligence,  inforiueJ 
Akaitcho  of  some  reports  they  had  heard  to  our  disadvantage. 
They  stated  that  Mr.  Weeks,  the  gentleman  in  charge  of  Kon 
Providence,  had  told  them,  that  so  far  from  our  being  what  \vc 
represented  ourselves  to  he,  the  officers  of  a  great  King,  we  wen 
merely  a  set  of  dependant  wretches,  whose  only  aim  was  to  ob- 
tain subsistence  for  a  season  in  the  plentiful  country  of  the  Cop- 
per Indians  ;  that,  out  of  charity,  we  had  been  supplied  wiih  a 
portion  of  gooils  by  the  trading  Companies,  but  that  there  was  not 
the  smallest  probability  of  our  being  able  to  reward  the  Indians 
when  their  term  of  service  was  completed.  Akaitcho,  with  jj;rcat 
good  sense,  instantly  came  to  have  the  matter  explained,  slatinji 
at  the  same  time,  that  he  could  not  credit  it.  I  then  pointed  oui 
to  him  that  Mr.  Wentzel,  with  whom  they  had  long  been  accus 
tomed  to  trade,  had  pledged  the  credit  of  his  Company  f  the 
stipulated  rewards  to  the  party  that  accompanied  us,  and  hf 

tradmg  debts  due  by  Akaitcho  and  his  party  had  already  been  re- 
mitted, which  was  of  itself  a  sufficient  proof  of  our  influence  with 
the  North-West  Company.  I  also  reminded  Akaitcho,  that  oui 
having  caused  the  Esquimaux  to  be  brought  up  at  a  great  ex- 
pense, was  evidence  of  our  future  intentions,  and  informed  him 
that  I  should  write  to  Mr.  Smith,  the  senior  trader  in  the  depart 
ment,  on  the  subject,  when  I  had  no  doubt  that  a  satisfactory 
explanation  would  be  given.  The  Indians  retired  from  the  con- 
ference apparently  satisfied,  but  this  business  was  in  the  end  pro- 
ductive of  much  inconvenience  to  us,  and  proved  very  detrimen- 
tal to  the  progress  of  the  Expedition.  In  conjunction  also  with 
other  intelligence  conveyed  in  Mr.  Back's  letters  respecting  the 
disposition  of  the  traders  towards  us,  particularly  a  statement  of 
Mr.  Weeks,  that  he  had  been  desired  not  to  assist  us  with  sup- 
plies from  his  post,  it  was  productive  of  much  present  uneasiness 
to  me. 

On  the  28th  St.  Germain,  (he  interpreter,  set  out  with  eight  Ca- 
nadian voyagers  and  four  Indian  hunters  to  bring  up  our  stores 


OF    THE    POLAR    SKA. 


221 


ironi  Fort  Providence.  I  wrote  by  Mm  to  Mr.  Smith,  at  Mopse- 
Deer  Island,  and  Mr.  Keith,  at  ('hipewyan,  both  of  the  North- 
Wcst  {'ompany,  urging  them  in  the  strongest  manner  to  comply 
with  the  requisition  for  stores,  which  Mr.  Buck  wouUl  present.  I 
also  informed  Mr.  Simpson,  principal  agent  in  the  Athabasca  for 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who  had  proflered  every  assist- 
ance in  his  power,  that  we  should  gladly  avail  ourselves  of  the 
liiiul  intentions  expressed  in  a  letter  which  I  had  received  from 

him. 

We  also  sent  a  number  of  broken  axes  to  Slave  Lake  to  be  re- 
paired. The  dog  that  came  to  us  on  the  22d  of  October,  and  had 
become  very  familiar,  followed  the  party.  We  were  in  hopes 
ihat  it  might  prove  of  some  use  in  dragging  iheir  loads,  but  we 
afterwards  learnt,  that  on  the  evening  after  their  departure  from 
(he  house,  they  had  the  cruelty  to  kill  and  eat  it,  although  they 
haJ  110  reason  to  apprehend  a  scarcity  of  provision.  A  dog  is  con- 
sidcied  to  be  delicate  eating  by  the  voyagers. 

Tiie  mean  temperature  of  the  air  for  November  was  —  0.7°. 
The  greatest  heat  observed  was  25°  above,  and  the  least  31"  be- 
low, zero. 

Oil  the  1st  of  December  the  sky  was  clear,  a  slight  appearance 
of  stratus  only  being  visible  near  the  horizon  ;  but  a  kind  of  snow 
fell  at  intervals  in  the  forenoon,  its  particles  so  minute  as  to  be 
observed  only  in  the  sunshine.  Towards  noon  the  snow  became 
more  apparent,  and  the  two  limbs  of  a  prismatic  arch  were  visi- 
ble, one  on  each  side  of  the  sun  near  its  place  in  the  heavens,  the 
centre  being  d  v'o.iont.  We  have  frequently  observed  this  de- 
scent of  minute  icy  spicule  when  the  sky  appears  perfectly  clear, 
and  could  even  perceive  that  its  silent,  but  continued  action, 
added  to  the  snowy  covering  of  the  ground. 

Having  received  one  hundred  balls  from  Fort  Providence  by 
Belanger,  we  distributed  them  amongst  the  Indians,  informing 
the  leader  at  the  same  time,  that  the  residence  of  so  large  a  party 
as  his  at  the  house,  amounting,  with  women  and  children,  to  forty 
souls,  was  producing  a  serious  reduction  in  our  stock  of  provision,. 
He  acknowledged  the  justice  of  the  statement,  and  promised  to 
remove  as  soon  as  his  party  had  prepared  snow-shoes  and  sledges 


228 


A    JOURNEY    TO   THE    SHORES 


t^:'M 


I  i'h^ '  ■■  ■  P. 

ml 


;v.r 


^  •- 


nil  '^.  ^  ^ 


i^ 


a'rij'i--'.  '"! 


Piii 


■rjfl*' 


t4  ■  J- :lni/ :■■:#■ 


1: 


for  themselves.  Under  one  pretext  or  other,  however,  their  de- 
parture was  delaye  until  the  10th  of  the  month,  when  they  left 
us,  having  previously  received  one  of  our  fishing-nets,  and  all  the 
ammunition  we  possessed.  The  leader  left  his  aged  mother  and 
two  female  attendants  to  our  care,  requesting,  that  if  she  died 
during  his  absence,  she  might  be  buried  at  a  distance  from  the 
fort,  that  he  might  not  be  reminded  of  his  loss  when  he  visit- 
ed us. 

Keskarrah,  the  guide,  also  remained  behind,  with  his  wife  and 
daughter.  The  old  man  has  become  too  feeble  to  hunt,  and  his 
time  is  almost  entirely  occupied  in  attendance  upoa  his  wife,  who 
has  been  long  affected  with  an  ulcer  on  the  face,  which  has  nearly 
destroyed  her  nose. 

Lately  he  made  an  offering  to  the  waier  spirits,  whose  wrath 
he  apprehended  to  be  the  cause  of  her  malady.  It  consisted  of  a 
knife,  a  piece  of  t  .bacco,  and  some  other  trifling  articles,  which 
were  tied  up  in  a  sruall  bundle,  and  committed  to  the  rapid  with 
a  long  prayer.  He  does  not  trust  entirely,  however,  to  the  re- 
leiiiing  of  the  spirits  for  his  wife's  cure,  but  comes  daily  to  Dr. 
Richardson  .'•    med  cine. 

Upon  one  occasion  he  received  the  medicine  from  the  Doctor 
with  such  formality,  and  wrapt  it  up  in  his  rein-deer  robe  with 
such  extraordinary  carefulness,  that  it  excited  the  involuntary 
laughter  of  Mr.  Hood  and  myself.  The  old  man  smiled  in  his 
turn,  and  as  he  always  seemed  proud  of  the  familiar  way  in  which 
we  were  accustcmt  .1  to  joke  with  him,  we  thought  no  more  upon 
the  subject.  But  he  unfortunately  mentioned  the  circumstance  to 
his  wife,  who  imagined  in  consequence,  that  the  drug  was  not 
productive  of  its  usual  good  effects,  and  they  immediately  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  j>ome  bad  medicine  had  been  intentionally 
given  to  them.  The  distress  produced  by  this  idea,  was  in  pro- 
portion to  their  former  faith  in  the  potency  of  the  re::*'edy,  and 
the  night  was  spent  in  singing  and  groaning.  Next  morning  the 
whole  family  were  crying  in  concert,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
evening  of  the  second  day  that  we  succeeded  in  pacifying  them, 
The  old  woman  began  to  feel  better,  and  her  faith  in  the  medi- 
cine war  renewed. 


.■r._>;; 


i].W  -: 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


229 


While  speaking  of  this  family,  I  may  remark  that  the  daughter, 
whom  we  designated  Green-stockings  from  her  dress,  is  consider- 
ed by  her  tribe  to  be  a  great  beauty.  Mr.  Hood  drew  an  accu- 
rate portrait  of  her,  although  her  mother  was  averse  to  her  sitting 
for  it.  She  was  afraid,  she  said,  that  her  daughter's  likeness 
would  induce  the  great  Chief  who  resided  in  England  to  send 
for  the  original.  The  young  lady,  however,  was  undeterred  by 
any  such  fear.  She  has  already  been  an  object  of  contest  between 
her  countrymen,  and  although  under  sixteen  years  of  age,  has  be- 
longed successively  to  two  husbands,  and  would  probably  have 
been  the  wife  of  many  more,  if  her  mother  had  not  requii<cd  her 
services  as  a  nurse. 

The  weather  during  this  month,  was  the  coldest  we  experienc- 
ed during  our  residence  in  America.  The  thermometer  sunk  on 
one  occasion  to  57°  below  zero,  and  never  rose  beyond  6°  above 
it;  themvjan  for  the  month  was — 29.  7".  During  these  intense 
colds,  however,  the  atmosphere  was  generally  calm,  and  the  wood- 
cutters and  others  went  about  their  ordinary  occupations  v/ithout 
using  any  extraordinary  precautions,  yet  without  feeling  any  bad 
effects.  They  had  their  rein-deei  shirts  on  leathern  mittens  lined 
with  blankets,  and  furred  caps  ;  but  none  of  them  used  any  defence 
for  the  face,  nor  did  they  need  to  do  so.  Indeed  we  have  already 
mentioned  that  the  heat  is  abstracted  most  rapidly  from  the  body 
during  strong  breezes,  and  most  of  those  who  have  perished  from 
cold  in  this  country,  have  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  their  being  overta- 
ken on  a  lake  or  other  unsheltered  place,  by  a  storm  of  wind. 
The  intense  colds  were,  however,  detrimental  to  us  in  another 
way.  The  trees  froze  to  their  very  centres,  and  became  as  hard 
as  stones,  and  more  difficult  to  cut.  Some  of  the  axes  were  bro- 
ken daily,  and  by  the  end  of  the  month  we  had  only  one  left  that 
was  fit  for  felling  trees.  By  intrusting  it  only  to  one  of  the  party 
who  had  been  bred  a  carpenter,  and  who  could  use  it  with  dex- 
terity, it  was  fortunately  preserved  until  the  arrival  of  our  men 
with  others  from  Fort  Providence. 

A  thermometer  hung  in  our  bed-room  at  the  distance  of  six- 
teen feet  from  the  fire,  but  exposed  to  its  direct  radiation,  stood 
even  in  the  day-time  occasionally  at  1 5*  below  zero,  and  was  ob- 


230 


A   JOURNEY    ro  THE   SHORES 


i  1  mm 

h|H^^m| 

served  more  than  once  previous  to  the  kindling  of  the  lire  in  Ui 
morning,  to  be  as  low  as  40°  below  zero.     On  two  of  theso  occa- 
sions the  chronometers  214f)  and  2151  which  dijrins;  the  nig;lii  1^, 
under  Mr.  Hood's  and  Dr.  Richardson's  pillows,  stopped  whUf. 
they  weie  dressing  themselves. 

The  rapid  at  the  commencement  of  the  river  remained  open  in 
the  severest  weather,  although  it  was  somewhat  contracted  jn 
width.  Its  temperature  was  32°,  as  was  the  surface  of  the  river 
opposite  the  house,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  lower  down,  tried 
at  a  hole  in  the  ice,  through  which  water  was  drawn  for  domestic 
purposes.  The  river  here  was  two  fathoms  and  a  half  deep,  and 
the  temperature  at  its  bottom  was  at  least  42°  above  zero.  This 
fact  was  ascertained  by  a  spirit  thermometer ;  in  which,  probably 
from  some  irregularity  in  the  tube,  a  small  portion  of  the  coloured 
liquor  usually  remained  at  42°  when  the  column  was  made  to  descend 
rapidlj\  In  the  present  instance  the  thermometer  standing  at  47' 
below  zero,  with  no  portion  of  the  fluid  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
tube  was  let  down  slowly  into  the  water,  luit  drawn  cautiously 
and  rapidly  up  again,  when  a  red  drop  at  -f-  42"  indicated  that  the 
fluid  had  risen  to  that  point  or  above  it.  At  this  period  the  daily 
visits  of  the  sun  were  very  short,  and  owing  to  the  oblif|uity  of 
his  rays,  afforded  us  little  warmth  or  light.  It  is  half  pasi,  eleven 
before  he  peeps  over  a  small  ridge  of  hills  opposite  to  the  house, 
and  he  sinks  in  the  horizon  at  half  past  two.  On  the  2Sth  Mr. 
Ilood,  in  order  to  attain  an  approximation  to  the  quantity  of  ter- 
restrial refraction,  observed  the  sun's  meridional  altitude  when  the 
thermometer  stood  at  46*^  below  zero,  at  the  imminent  hazard  ol 
having  his  fingers  frozen. 

He  found  the  sextant  had  changed  its  error  considerably,  and 
that  the  glasses  had  lost  their  parallelism  from  the  contraction  ol 
the  brass.  In  measuring  the  error  he  perceived  that  the  diame- 
ter of  the  sun's  image  was  considerably  short  of  twice  the  semi- 
diameter  ;  a  proof  of  the  uncertainty  of  celestial  observations 
made  during  these  intense  frosls.  The  results  of  this  and  another 
similar  observation  are  given  at  the  bottom  of  the  page.* 

•  "  The  observed  meridian  altitude  of  Q  upper  limb  was  2°  52"  51'.  Tem- 
perature of  the  air  —  45°  5\    By  comparing  this  altitude,  corrected  by  tlic 


iS'' 


# 


OF  TUE  POLAR  SEA. 


231 


The  aurora  appeared  with  more  or  less  brilliancy  on  twenty- 
eight  nights  in  this  month,  and  we  were  also  gratified  by  the  re- 
splendent beauty  of  the  moon,  which  for  many  dajs  together 
performed  its  circle  round  the  heavens,  shining  with  undiminished 
lustre  and  scarcely  disappearing  below  the  horizon  during  the 
nvenly-four  hours. 

During  many  nights  there  was  a  halo  round  the  moon,  although 

mean  refraction  and  parallax,  with  that  deduced  from  the  latitude  which  was 
observed  in  autum,  the  increase  of  refraction  is  found  to  be  6'  50",  the  whole 
refraction,  tlierctbre,  for  the  altitude  2°  52'  51"  is  21'  49".  Admitting  that 
llie  refraction  increases  in  tlie  same  ratio  as  that  of  tlie  atmosphere  at  a  mean 
state  of  temperature,  the  horizontal  refraction  will  be  47'  22".  But  the  di- 
ameter of  the  sun  measured  immediately  after  the  observation,  was  only 
:;■'  7",  which  shews  an  increase  of  refraction  at  the  lower  limb  of  3'  29". 
The  horizontal  refraction  calcuhited  with  this  diflference,  and  the  above-men- 
tioned ratio,  is  56'  3",  at  the  temjierature  —  45°  5'.  So  that  in  the  parallel 
63°  42',  where,  if  there  was  no  refraction,  the  sun  would  be  invisible  for  thirty- 
four  (lays,  his  upper  limb,  with  the  refraction  .56'  3",  is,  in  fact,  above  the  hori- 
!onat  every  noon. 

The  wind  was  from  the  westward  a  moderate  breeze,  and  the  air  perfectly 
clear.  .Tanuary  1st,  1821.  Observed  meridian  altitude  of  Q  lower  limb  2° 
35' 20".  O  apparent  diameter  29°  20'-  For  apparent  altitude  2°  35'  20",  the 
moan  refraction  is  16'  5"  (Mackay's  Tables),  and  the  true,  found  as  detailed 
above,  is  20'  8" :  whicli  increasing-  in  the  same  ratio  as  that  of  the  atmosphere, 
at  a  mean  state  of  temperature,  is  41'  19"  at  the  horizon.  But  tlie  diflerencc 
of  refraction  at  the  upper  and  lower  limbs,  increasing'  also  in  that  r.itio,  gives 
55' 16" for  the  horizontal  refraction.     Temperature  o  it-  —  41°.     Wind 

north,  alight  breeze,  a  large  halo  visible  about  the  sun.     J.atuaiy  15tli.  1821, 
-Observed  an  apparent  meridian  altitude  Q  lower  limb  4°  24'  57"      Q  ap- 
parent diameter  31'  5".     For  apparent  altitude  4°  24'  57",  the  mean  refrac- 
tion is  10'  58"  (Mackay's  Tables),  and  the  true,  found  as  detailed  above,  is  14' 
j9'',  which  increasing  in  the  same  ratio  as  that  of  the  atmosphere  at  a  mean 
slate  of  temperature,  is  43'  57"  at  the  horizon.     But  the  difference  of  refrac- 
tion between  the  upper  and  lower  limbs,  increasing  also  in  that  ratio,  give. 
48'  30"  for  the  horizontal  refraction. 
Temperature  of  the  air  —  35°,  a  light  air  from  the  westward,  very  clear. 
The  extreme  coldness  of  the  weather  rendered  these  operations  difHcult 
and  dangerous ;   yet  I  think  the  observations  may  be  depended  upon  within 
30",  as  will  appear  by  their  approximate  results  in  calculating  the  horizontal 
refraction  ;  for  it  must  be  considered  that  an  error  of  30",  in  the  refraction 
in  ahitude,  would  make  a  difference  of  several  minutes  in  the  horizontal  re 
fraction." — Mn.  Hooii's  Journal. 


A  JOURNJiY  TO  THK  SIIOIU'.S 


m 


'Hi*!     ii'  ■ 


L.I.  » ' ') ■  s •« 


i 


''*' 


the  stars  shone  brightly,  and  the  atmosphere  appeared  otherwise 
clear.  The  same  phenomenon  was  observed  round  the  candles 
even  in  our  bed-rooms  ;  the  diameter  of  the  halo  increasing  as  the 
observer  receded  from  the  light.  These  halos,  both  round  the 
moon  and  candles,  occasionally  exhibited  faintly  some  of  the  pris- 
matic colours. 

As  it  may  bo  interesting  to  the  reader  to  know  how  we  passed 
our  time  at  this  season  of  the  year,  I  shall  mention  briefly,  that  a 
considerablo  portion  of  it  was  occupied  in  writing  up  our  journals. 
Some  newspapers  and  magazines,  that  we  had  received  from  En"- 
land  with  our  letters,  were  read  again  and  again,  and  commented 
upon,  at  oiu"  meals ;  and  we  often  exercised  ourselves  with  conjec- 
turing the  changes  that  might  take  place  in  the  world  before  we 
could  hear  from  it  again.  The  probability  of  our  receiving  letters, 
and  the  period  of  their  arrival,  were  calculated  to  a  nicety.  We 
occasionally  paid  the  woodmen  a  visit,  or  took  a  walk  for  a  mile 
or  two  on  the  river. 

In  ihc  evenings  we  joined  the  men  in  the  hall,  and  took  a  pair 
in  their  games,  which  generally  continued  to  a  late  hour;  in  short, 
we  never  found  the  time  to  hang  heavy  upon  our  hands;  and  the 
peculiar  occupations  of  each  of  the  olTicers  afforded  them  more 
employment  than  might  at  first  be  supposed.  I  re-calculated  the 
observations  made  on  our  route ;  Mr.  Hood  protracted  the  charts, 
and  made  those  drawings  of  birds,  plants,  and  fishes,  which  cannot 
appear  in  this  work,  but  which  have  been  the  admiration  of  every 
one  who  has  seen  them.  Each  of  the  party  sedulously  and  sepa 
rately  recorded  their  observations  on  the  aurora,  and  Dr.  Richard- 
son contrived  to  obtain  from  under  the  snow  specimens  of  most  of 
the  lichens  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  to  make  himself  acquaint- 
ed with  the  mineralogy  of  the  surrounding  country. 

The  Sabbath  was  always  a  clay  of  rest  with  us ;  the  woodmen 
were  required  to  provide  for  the  exigencies  of  that  day  on  Satur 
day,  and  the  party  were  dressed  in  their  best  attire.  Divine  ser 
vice  was  regularly  performed,  and  the  Canadians  attended,  and 
behaved  with  great  decorum,  although  they  were  all  Roman  Ca- 
tholics,  and  but  little  acquainted  with  the  language  in  which  lh(! 
prayers  were  read.     I  regretted  much  thai  wo  had  not  a  Fiench 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


233 


r,iayei'-book,  but  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  Creed  were  always  read 
to  them  in  their  own  lanp;uap;e. 

Our  diet  consisted  ahiiust  entirely  of  the  rein-deer  meat,  varied 
twice  a  week  by  fish,  and  occasionally  by  a  little  flour,  but  we  had 
110  vegetables  of  any  description.  On  the  Sunday  mornings  we 
drank  a  cup  of  chocolate,  but  our  j^reatest  luxury  was  tea  (without 
sugar),  of  which  we  re{];ularly  partook  twice  a-day.  With  rein- 
deer's fat,  and  strips  of  cotton  shirts,  we  formed  candles ;  and 
Hepburn  acquired  considerable  skill  in  the  manufacture  of  soap, 
from  the  wood-ashes,  fat,  and  salt.  The  formation  of  soap  was 
considered  as  rather  a  mysterious  operation  by  our  Canadians, 
and,  in  their  hands,  was  always  supposed  to  fail  if  a  woman  ap- 
proached the  kettle  in  which  the  ley  was  boiling.  Such  are  our 
simple  domestic  details. 

On  the  30th,  two  hunters  came  from  the  leader,  to  convey  am- 
munition to  him,  as  soon  as  our  men  should  bring  it  from  Fort 
Providence. 

The  men,  at  this  time,  coated  the  walls  of  the  house  on  the  out- 
side, with  a  thin  mixture  of  clay  and  water,  which  formed  a  crust 
of  ice,  that,  for  some  days,  proved  impervious  to  the  air  ;  the  dry- 
ness of  the  atmosphere,  however,  was  such,  that  the  ice  in  a  short 
time  evaporated,  and  gave  admission  to  the  wind  as  before.  It  is 
;i  general  custom  at  the  forts  to  give  this  sort  of  coating  to  the 
walls  at  Christmas  time.  When  it  was  gone  we  attempted  to  re- 
medy its  defect,  by  heaping  up  snow  against  the  walls. 

1821.  This  morning  our  men  collected,  and  greeted  us  with 
January  1.  |_|^g  customary  salutation  on  the  commencement  of  the 
new  year.  That  they  might  enjoy  a  holida}',  they  had  yesterday 
collected  double  the  usual  quantity  of  fire-wood,  and  we  anxiously 
expected  the  arrival  of  the  men  from  Fort  Providence,  with  some 
additions  to  their  comforts.  We  were  led  the  more  readily  to 
hope  for  their  arrival  before  the  evening,  as  we  knew  that  every 
voyager  uses  his  utmost  endeavour  to  reach  a  post  upon,  or  pre- 
vious to,  ihtijour  de  Pan,  that  he  may  partake  of  the  wonted  fes- 
tivities. It  forms  the  theme  of  their  conversation  for  months 
before  and  after  the  period  of  its  arrival.  On  the  present  occasion 
ive  could  only  treat  them  with  a  little  flour  and  fat ;  these  were 

a  tr 


fjk,  Jm 


234 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


i  '^t 


both  considered  as  great  luxuries,  but  still  the  feast  was  defective 
from  the  want  of  rum,  although  we  promised  them  a  little  when 
it  should  arrive. 

The  early  part  of  January  proved  mild,  the  thermometer  rose 
to  20*  above  zero,  and  we  were  surprised  by  the  appearance  of  a 
kind  of  damp  fog  approaching  very  nearly  to  rain.  The  Indians 
expressed  their  astonishment  at  this  circumstance,  and  declared 
the  present  to  be  one  of  the  warmest  winters  they  had  ever  expe- 
rienced. Some  of  them  reported  that  it  had  actually  rained  in  the 
woody  parts  of  the  country.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  month 
however,  the  thermometer  again  descended  to  —  49°,  and  the 
inean  temperature  for  the  month  proved  to  hn  —  15.6°.  Owinw 
to  the  fogs  that  obscured  the  sky  the  aurora  was  visible  only  upon 
eighteen  nights  in  the  month. 

On  the  1 5th  seven  of  our  men  arrived  from  FortProv  dence  with 
two  kegs  of  rimi,  one  barrel  of  powder,  sixty  pounds  of  ball,  two 
rolls  of  tobacco,  and  some  clothing.  They  had  been  twenty-one 
days  on  their  march  from  Slave  Lake,  and  the  labour  they  under- 
went was  sufficiently  evinced  by  their  sledge-collars  having  worn 
out  the  shoulders  of  their  coats.  Their  loads  weighed  from  sixty 
to  ninety  pounds  each,  exclusive  of  their  bedding  and  provisions, 
which  at  starting  must  have  been  at  least  as  much  more.  Wc 
were  much  rejoiced  at  their  arrival,  and  proceeded  forthwith  to 
pierce  the  spirit  cask,  and  issue  to  each  of  the  household  the  por- 
tion of  rum  which  had  been  promised  to  them  on  the  first  day  of 
the  year.  The  spirits,  which  were  proof,  were  frozen,  but  after 
fetanding  at  the  fire  for  some  time  ihey  flowed  out  of  the  consis- 
tency of  honey.  The  temperature  of  the  liquid,  even  in  this  state, 
was  so  low  as  instantly  to  convert  into  ice  the  moisture  which 
condensed  on  the  surface  of  the  dram-glass.  The  fingers  also  ad- 
hered to  the  glass,  and  would,  doubtless,  have  been  speedily  fro- 
zen had  they  been  kept  in  contact  with  it,  yet  each  of  the  voyagers 
swallowed  his  dram  without  experiencing  the  slightest  inconve- 
nience, or  complaining  even  of  the  tooth-ach. 

xVfter  the  iien  ha<l  retired,  an  Indian,  who  had  accompanied 
them  from  Fort  Providence,  infi>rmed  me  that  they  had  broached 
the  cask  on  their  way  up  and  spent  two  days  in  drinking.    This 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


235 


instance  of  breach  of  trust  was  excessively  distressing  to  me  ;  I 
felt  for  their  privations  and  fatigues,  and  was  dis]]Oscd  to  seize 
upon  every  opportunity  of  alleviating  them,  but  this,  combined 
with  many  instances  of  petty  dishonesty  with  regard  to  meat, 
shewed  how  little  confidence  could  be  put  in  a  Canadian  voyager 
when  food  or  spirits  were  in  question.  We  had  been  indeed  made 
acquainted  with  their  character  on  these  points  by  the  traders,  but 
we  thought  that  when  they  saw  their  officers  living  under  equal 
if  not  greater  privations  than  themselves,  they  would  have  been 
prompted  by  some  degree  of  generous  feeling  to  abstain  from  those 
depredations  which,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  they  would 
scarcely  have  blushed  to  be  detected  in. 

As  they  were  pretty  well  aware  that  such  a  circumstance  could 
not  long  be  concealed  from  us,  one  of  them  came  the  next  morn- 
ing with  an  artful  apology  for  their  conduct.  He  stated,  that  as  they 
knew  it  was  my  intention  to  treat  them  with  a- dram  on  the  com- 
mencement of  the  new  year,  they  had  helped  themselves  to  a 
small  quantity  on  that  day,  trusting  to  my  goodness  for  forgive- 
ness ;  and  being  unwilling  to  act  harshly  at  this  period,  I  did  for- 
give them,  after  admonishing  them  to  be  very  circumspect  in  their 
future  conduct. 

The  ammunition  anil  a  small  present  of  rum,  were  sent  to 
Akaitclio. 

On  the  18th  Vaillant,  the  woodman,  had  the  misfortune  to 
break  his  axe.  This  would  have  been  a  serious  evil  had  it  occur- 
red a  few  weeks  sooner,  but  we  had  just  received  some  others 
from  Slave  Lake. 

On  the  27th  Mr.  Wentzel  and  St.  Germain  arrived  with  the 
two  Esquimaux,  Tattannoeuck  and  HoeootcErock,  (the  belly  and 
the  ear.)  The  English  names,  which  were  bestowed  upon  them 
at  Fort  Churchill,  are  Augustus  and  Junius.  The  former  speaks 
En2;lish. 

We  now  learnt  that  Mr.  Back  proceeded  with  Beauparlant  to 
Fort  Chipewyan,  on  the  24th  of  December,  to  procure  stores, 
having  previously  discharged  J.  Belleau  from  our  service  at  hu^ 
own  request,  and  with  my  consent.  I  was  the  more  induced 
to  comply  with  this  man's  desire  of  leaving  us,  as  he  proved  to 


230 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


v.mm 


be  too  weak  to  perform  the  duty  of  a  bowman  which  he  had  iin- 
dertakcn. 

Four  dogs  were  brought  up  by  this  party,  and  proved  a  great 
reUef  to  our  wood-haulers  during  the  remainder  of  the  season. 

By  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Wentzel,  who  is  an  excellent  musician 
and  assisted  us  {con  amove)  in  our  attempts  to  amuse  the  men 
we  were  enabled  to  gratify  the  whole  establishment  with  an  oc- 
casional dance.  This  is  an  amusement  of  which  the  voyagers  are 
very  fond,  and  not  the  less  so,  as  it  was  now  and  then  accompa- 
nied by  a  dram  as  long  as  our  rum  lasted. 

On  the  5th  of  February,  two  Canadians  came  from  Akaitcho 
for  further  supplies  of  ammunition.  We  were  mortified  to  learn 
that  he  had  received  some  further  unpleasant  reports  concerning 
us  from  Fort  Providence,  and  that  his  faith  in  our  good  inten- 
tions was  somewhat  shaken.  He  expressed  himself  dissatisfied 
with  the  quantity  of  ammunition  we  had  sent  him,  accused  us  of 
an  intention  of  endeavouring  to  degrade  him  in  the  eyes  of  his 
tribe,  and  informed  us  that  Mr.  Weeks  had  refused  to  pay 
some  notes  for  trifling  quantities  of  goods  and  ammunition  that 
had  been  given  to  the  hunters  who  accompanied  our  men  to  Slave 
Lake. 

Some  powder  and  shot,  and  a  keg  of  diluted  spirits  were  sent 
to  him  with  the  strongest  assurances  of  our  regard. 

On  the  12th,  another  party  of  six  men  was  sent  to  Fort  Provi- 
dence, to  bring  up  the  remaining  stores.  St.  Germain  went  to 
Akaitcho  for  the  purpose  of  sending  two  of  his  hunters  to  join  this 
party  on  its  route. 

On  comparing  the  language  of  our  two  Esquimaux  with  a  copy 
of  St.  John's  Gospel,  printed  for  the  use  of  the  Moravian  Mis- 
sionary Settlements  on  the  Labrador  coast,  it  appeared  that  the 
Esquimaux  who  resort  to  Churchill  speak  a  language  essentially 
the  same  with  those  who  frequent  the  Labrador  coast.  The  Red 
Knives,  too,  recognize  the  expression  Teyma,  used  by  the  Esqui- 
maux when  they  accost  strangers  in  a  friendly  manner,  as  simi- 
larly prounounced  by  Augustus,  and  those  of  his  race  who  fre 
quent  the  mouth  of  the  Copper-Mine  River. 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


237 


The  tribe  to  which  Augustus  belongs  resides  generally  a  little 
to  the  northward  of  Churchill.  In  the  spring,  before  the  ice  quits 
lie  shores,  they  kill  seal,  but  during  winter  they  frequent  the 
borders  of  the  large  lakes  near  the  coast,  where  they  obtain  fish, 
rcin-cieer,  and  musk-oxen. 

There  are  eighty-four  grown  men  in  the  tribe,  only  seven  of 
whom  are  aged.  Six  Chiefs  have  in  general  two  wives ;  the  rest 
df  the  men  have  only  one,  so  that  the  number  of  married  people 
;nay  amount  to  one  hundred  and  seventy.  He  could  give  me  no 
certain  data  whereby  I  might  estimate  the  number  of  children. 

Two  great  Chiefs,  or  t^ckhaiyooty  have  complete  authority  in 
directing  the  movements  of  the  party,  and  in  distributing  pro- 
visions. The  Mtooganceuck,  or  lesser  Chiefs,  are  respected 
principally  as  senior  men.  They  seldom  suffer  from  want  of 
lood,  if  the  Chief  moves  to  the  different  stations  at  the  proper 
season.  The  Esquimaux  seem  to  follow  the  eastern  custom  re- 
specting marriage.  As  soon  as  a  girl  is  born,  the  young  lad  who 
ivishes  to  have  her  for  a  wife,  goes  to  her  father's  tent,  and  prof- 
fers himself.  If  accepted,  a  promise  is  given  which  is  considered 
binding,  and  the  girl  is  delivered  to  her  betrothed  husband  at  the 
proper  age. 

They  consider  their  progenitors  to  have  come  from  the  moon. 
Augustus  has  no  other  idea  of  a  Deity  than  some  confused  notions 
which  he  has  obtained  at  Churchill. 

When  any  of  the  tribe  is  dangerously  ill,  a  conjure**  is  sent  for, 
and  the  bearer  of  the  message  carries  a  suitable  present  to  induce 
his  attendance.  TTpr  n  his  arrival  he  encloses  himself  in  the  tent 
with  the  sick  ma  .a  sings  over  him  for  days  together  without 
tasting  food  ;  but  Augustus,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  uninitiated, 
are  ignorant  of  the  purport  of  his  songs,  and  of  the  nature  of  the 
Being  to  whom  they  are  addressed.  The  conjurers  practise  a 
Kood  deal  of  jugglery  in  swallowing  knives,  firing  bullets  through,^^ 
their  bodies,  &c.,  but  they  are  generally  secluded  from  view,  ' 
and  the  bystanders  believe  their  assertions,  without  requiring  to 
be  eye-witnesses  of  the  fact.  Sixteen  men  and  three  women 
amongst  Augustus'  tribe  are  acquainted  with  the  mysteries  of  the 
:irt.    The  skill  of  the  latter  is  exerted  only  on  their  own  sex. 


238 


A    JOURNEY   TO   THE    SHORES 


Kiin 


4  J  f 


t     / 

\k  I  ft. 


Upon  the  map  being  spread  before  Augustus,  he  soon  comprt- 

licnded  it,  and  recognized  Chesterfield  Inlet  to  be  "  the  opening 

into  which  salt  water  enters  at  spring  tides,  and  which  receives  a 

river  at  its  upper  end."     He  termed  it  Kannteuck  Kleeumick. 

He  has  never  been   farther  north  himself  than  Marble  Island 

which  he  distinguishes  as  being  the  spot  where  the  large  ships 

were  wrecked,  alluding  to  the  disastrous  termination  of  Barlow 

and  Knight's  Voyage  of  Discovery.*     He  says,  however,  that 

Esquimaux  of  three  different  tribes  have  traded  with  his  country. 

men,  and  that  they  described  themselves  as  having  come  across 

land  from  a  northern  sea.     One  tribe,  who  named  themselves 

,flhwhacknanhdett ^  he  supposes  may  come  from  Repulse  Bay; 

another,   designated    (Jotkooseek-kalingm(eoot ,    or   Stone-Kettle 

Esquimaux,  reside  more  to  the  westward ;  and  the  third,  the 

Kang-orr-micoot,  or  White  Goose  Escjuimaux,  describe  themselves 

as  coming  from  a  great  distance,  and  mentioned  that  a  party  of 

Indians  had  killed  several  of  their  tribe  on  the  summer  precedins; 

their  visit.     Upon  comparing  the  dates  of  this  murder  with  that 

of  the  late  massacre  which  the  Copper  Indians  have  perpetrated 

on  these  harmless  and  defenceless  people,  they  appear  to  differ 

two  years;  but  the  lapse  of  time  is  so  inaccurately  recorded,  that 

this  difference  in  their  accounts  is  not  sufficient  to  destroy  their 

identity ;  besides,  the  Chipevvyans,  the  only  other  Indians  who 

could  possibly  have  committed  the  deed,  have  long  since  ceased 

to  go  to  war.     If  this  massacre  should  be  the  one  mentioned  by 

the  Copper  Indians,  the  Kang-orr-moeoot  must  reside  near  the 

mouth  of  the  Anatessy,  or  river  of  Strangers. 

^  The  winter  habitations  of  the  Esquimaux,  who  visit  Churchill. 

are  built  of  snow,  and  judging  from  one  constructed  by  Augustus 

to-day,  they  are  very  comfortable  dwellings.     Having  selected  a 

spot  on  the  river,  where  the  snow  was  about  two  feet  deep,  and 

sufficiently  compact,  he  commenced  by  tracing  out  a  circle  twelve 

feet  in  diameter.     The  snow  in  the  interior  of  the  circle  was  next 

divided  with  a  broad  knife,  having  a  long  handle,  into  slabs  three 

feet  long,  six  inches  thick,  and  two  feet  deep,  being  the  thickness 

of  the  layer  of  snow.     These  slabs  were  tenacious  enough  to  ad- 

*  See  Introduction  to  IIeahwe'b  Journey,  page  xxiv. 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


230 


nut  of  being  moved  about  without  breaking,  or  even  losing  the 
sharpness  of  their  angles,  and  that  they  had  a  slight  degree  of 
jurvature,  corresponding  with  thit  of  the  circle  from  which  they 
were  cut.     They  were  piled  upon  each  other  exactly  like  courses 
jf  hewn  stone  around  the  circle  which  was  traced  out,  and  care 
^as  taken  to  smooth  the  beds  of  the  different  courses  with  the 
knife?  and  to  cut  them  so  as  to  give  the  wall  a  slight  inclination 
inwards,  by  which  contrivance  the  building  acquired  the  proper- 
ties of  a  dome.     The  dome  was  closed  somewhat  suddenly  and 
flatly  by  cutting  the  upper  slabs  in  a  wedge-form,  instead  of  the 
more  rectangular  shape  of  those  below.     The  roof  was  about  ei<;ht 
feet  high,  and  the  last  aperture  was  shut  up  by  a  small  conical 
piece.    The  whole  was  built  from  within,  and  each  slab  was  cut 
so  that  it  retained  its  position  without  requiring  support  until  an- 
other was  placed  beside  it,  the  lightness  of  the  slabs  greatly  fa- 
cilitating the  operation.     When  the  building  was  covered  in,  a 
little  loose  snow  was  thrown  over  it,  to  close  up  every  chink,  and 
alow  door  was  cut  through  the  walls  with  a  knife.     A  bed-place 
was  next  formed,  and  neatly  faced  up  with  slabs  of  snow,  which 
was  then  covered  with  a  thin  layer  of  pme  branches,  to  prevent 
them  from  melting  by  the  heat  of  the  body.     At  each  end  of  the 
bed  a  pillar  of  snow  was  erected  to  place  a  lamp  upon ;  and  lastly, 
a  porch  was  built  before  the  door,  and  a  piece  of  clear  ice  was 
placed  in  an  aperture  cut  in  the  wall  for  a  window. 

The  purity  of  the  material  of  which  the  house  was  framed,  the 
elegance  of  its  construction,  and  the  translucency  of  its  walls, 
which  transmitted  a  very  pleasant  light,  gave  it  an  appearance  far 
saperior  to  a  marble  building,  and  one  might  survey  it  with  feel- 
ings somewhat  akin  to  those  produced  by  the  contemplation  of  a 
Grecian  temple,  reared  by  Phidias ;  both  are  triumphs  of  art,  in- 
imitable in  their  kinds. 

Several  deer  were  killed  near  the  house,  and  we  received  some 
supplies  from  Akaitcho.  Parties  were  also  employed  in  bringing 
in  the  meat  that  was  placed  en  cache  in  the  early  part  of  the 
winter.  More  than  one  half  of  these  caches,  however,  had  been 
destroyed  by  the  wolves  and  wolverines  ;  a  circumstance  which, 
in  conjuction  with  the  empty  state  of  our  store-house,  led  us  to 


mtA 


210 


A    .TOURNEY   TO    THE    SHORES 


-'f#  It  '  ..fed 


fear  that  we  should  be  much  straitened  for  provisions  before  tlic 
arrival  of  any  considerable  number  of  rein-deer  in  this  neighbour- 
hood. 

A  good  many  ptarmigans  were  seen  at  this  time,  and  the  wo- 
men caught  some  in  snares,  but  not  in  sufficient  quantity  to  make 
any  further  alteration  in  the  raionsofdeers' meat  that  were  daily 
issued.  They  had  already  bceii  reduced  from  eight  to  the  short 
allowance  of  five  pounds. 

Many  wolves  prowled  nightly  about  the  house,  and  even  ven- 
tured upon  the  roof  of  the  kitchen,  which  is  a  low  buildino;,  in 
search  of  food.  Keskarrah  shot  a  very  large  white  one,  of  which 
a  beautiful  and  correct  drawing  was  made  by  Mr.  Hood. 

The  temperature  in  Feburary  was  considerably  lower  than  in 
the  preceding  month,  although  not  so  low  as  in  December,  the 
mean  being — 25.3°.  The  greatest  temperature  was  1°  above 
zero,  and  the  lowest  51°  below. 

On  the  5th  of  March  the  people  returned  from  Slave  Lake, 
bringing  the  remainder  of  our  stores,  consisting  of  a  cask  of  flour, 
thirty-six  pounds  of  sugar,  a  roll  of  tobacco,  and  forty  pounds  ol 
tobacco.  I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Weeks,  wherein  he  denied 
that  he  had  ever  circulated  any  reports  to  our  disadvantage ;  and 
stated  that  he  had  done  every  thing  in  his  power  to  assist  us,  and 
even  discouraged  Akaitcho  from  leaving  us,  when  he  had  sent  him 
a  message,  saying,  that  he  wished  to  do  so,  if  he  was  sure  of  be- 
ing well  received  at  Fort  Providence. 

We  mentioned  the  contents  of  the  letter  to  the  Indians,  who 
were  at  the  house  at  the  time,  when  one  of  the  hunters,  who 
had  attended  the  men  on  their  journey,  stated  that  he  had  heard 
many  of  the  reports  against  us  from  Mr.  Weeks  himself,  and  ex- 
pressing his  surprise  that  he  should  venture  to  deny  them.  St. 
Germain  soon  afterwards  arrived  from  Akaitcho,  and  informed 
us,  that  he  left  him  in  good  humour,  and,  apparently,  not  harbour- 
ing the  slightest  idea  of  quitting  us. 

On  the  12th,  we  sent  four  men  to  Fort  Providence ;  and,  on  the 
I7th,  Mr.  Back  arrived  from  Fort  Chipewyan,  having  performed, 
since  he  left  us,  a  journey  of  more  than  one  thousand  miles  on 
foot.  I  had  every  reason  to  be  much  pleased  with  his  conduct  on 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


241 


t|ii:i  urduous  undertaking ;  but  his  exertions  may  be  estimated  by 
the  perusal  of  the  following  narrative  of  hla  proceedings  :— 


On  quitting  Fort  Enterprizc,  with  Mr.  Wcntzcl  and  two  Cana- 
dians, accompanied  by  two  hunters  and  llicir  wives,  our  route  lay 
across  the  barren  hills.     We  saw  durinp;  Iho  day,  a  number  of 
deer,  and,  occasionally  a  solitary  white  wolf;  and  in  the  even- 
ing halted  near  a  small  knot  of  pines.    Owing  to  the  slow  progress 
made  by  the  wives  of  the  hunters,  we  only  travelled  the  first  day 
a  distance  of  seven  miles  and  a  half.     During  the  night  we  had  a 
glimpse  of  the  fantastic  beauties  of  the  Aurora  Borealis,  and  were 
somewhat  annoyed  by  the  wolves,  whose  nightly  howling  inter- 
rupted our  repose.     Early  the  next  morning  we  continued  our 
march,  sometimes  crossing  small  lakes  (which  were  just  frozen 
enough  to  bear  us,)  and  at  other  times  going  large  circuits,  in  or- 
der to  avoid  those  which  were  open.  The  walking  was  extremely 
bad  throughout  the  day  ;  for,  independent  of  the  general  uneven- 
:iess  of  the  «|;»'ound,  and  the  numberless  large  stones  which  lay 
scattered  in  every  direction,  the  unusual  warmth  of  the  weather 
had  dissolved  the  snow,  which  not  only  kept  us  constantly  wet, 
but  deprived  us  of  a  firm  footing,  so  that  the  men,  with  their  heavy 
burdens,  were  in  momentary  apprehension  of  falling.  In  the  after- 
noon a  fine  herd  of  deer  was  descried,  and  the  Indians,  who  are 
always  anxious  for  the  chase,  and  can  hardly  be  restrained  from 
pursuing  every  animal  which  they  see,  set  out  immediately.     It 
was  late  when  they  returned,  having  had  good  success,  and  bring- 
ing with  them  five  tongues,  and  the  shoulder  of  a  deer.     We 
made  about  twelve  miles  this  day.     The  night  was  fine,  and  the 
Aurora  Borealis  so  vivid,  that  we  imagined,  more  than  once,  that 
we  heard  a  rustling  noise  like  that  of  autumnal  leaves  stirred  by 
the  wind ;  but  after  two  hours  of  attentive  listening,  we  were  not 
entirely  convinced  of  the  fact.     The  coruscations  were  not  so 
bright,  nor  the  transition  from  one  shape  and  colour  to  another 
"*o  rapid,  as  they  sometimes  are ;  otherwise,  I  have  no  doubt,  from 

Hh 


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A    JC)UUNi,V     lO    THE    SHORES 


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the  midnight  silence  which  prevailed,  that  we  should  have  ascer- 
tained this  yet  undecided  point. 

The  morning  of  the  20th  was  so  extremely  hazy  that  we  could 
not  see  ten  yards  before  us  ;  it  was,  therefore,  late  when  we  start 
ed,  and  during,  the  journey  the  hunters  complained  of  the  wea- 
ther, and  feared  they  should  lose  the  track  of  our  route.  Towards 
the  evening  it  became  so  thick  that  we  could  not  proceed,  con- 
sequently we  halted  in  a  small  wood,  situated  in  a  valley,  after 
having  only  completed  a  distance  of  six  miles. 

The  scenery  consisted  of  high  hills,  which  w6re  dmost  desti- 
tute of  trees,  and  lakes  appeared  iti  the  valleys.  The  cracking 
of  the  ice  was  so  loud  during  the  night  as  to  resemble  thunder, 
and  the  wolv^es  howled  around  us.  We  were  now  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  woods,  and  at  an  early  hour,  on  the  21st,  con- 
tinued our  journey  over  high  hills  for  three  miles,  when  the  ap- 
pearance of  some  deer  caused  us  to  halt,  and  nearly  the  remain- 
der of  the  day  was  passed  in  hunting  them.  In  the  evening  we 
stopped  within  sight  of  Prospect  Hill,  after  having  killed  and  con 
cealed  six  deer.  A  considerable  quantity  of  snow  fell  during  the 
night. 

The  surrounding  country  \vas  extremely  rugged ;  the  hills  di- 
vided by  deep  ravines,  and  the  valleys  covered  with  broken 
masses  of  rocks  and  stones ;  yet  the  deer  fly  (as  it  were,)  over 
these  impediments  with  apparent  ease,  seldom  making  a  false  step, 
and  springing  from  crag  to  crpg  A'ith  all  the  safety  of  the  mountaii) 
goat.  After  passing  Rein-deer  Lake,  (where  the  ice  was  so  thin 
as  to  bend  at  every  step  for  nine  miles,)  we  halted,  perfectly 
satisfied  with  our  escape  from  sinking  into  the  water.  While 
some  of  the  party  were  forming  the  encampment  one  of  the  hun- 
ters killed  a  deer,  a  part  of  which  was  concealed  to  be  ready  for 
use  on  our  return.  This  evening  we  halted  in  a  wood  near  the 
canoe  track,  after  having  travelled  a  distance  of  nine  miles.  The 
wind  was  S.E.  and  the  night  cloudy,  with  wind  and  rain. 

On  the  24th  and  25th  we  underwent  some  fatigue  from  heinj; 
obliged  to  go  round  the  lakes,  which  lay  across  our  route,  and 
were  not  sufficiently  frozen  to  bear  us.     '^ieveral  rivulets  appeared 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


243 


10  empty  themselves  into  the  lakes,  no  animals  were  killed,  and 
lew  tracks  seen.  The  scenery  consisted  of  barren  rocks  and  high 
hills,  covered  with  lofty  pine,  birch,  and  larch  trees. 

October  26. — We  continued  our  journey,  sometimes  on  frozen 
lakes,  and  at  other  times  on  high  craggy  rocks.  When  we  were 
on  the  lakes  we  were  much  impeded  in  our  journey  by  different 
parts  which  were  unfrozen.  There  was  a  visible  increase  of  wood, 
consisting  of  birch  and  larch,  as  we  inclined  to  the  southward. 
About  ten  A.M.  we  passed  Icy  Portage,  where  we  saw  various 
tracks  of  the  moose,  bear,  and  otter ;  and  after  a  most  harassing 
march  through  thick  woods  and  over  fallen  trees,  we  halted  a 
mile  to  the  westward  of  Fishing  Lake  ;  our  provisions  were  now 
almost  expended  ;  the  weather  was  cloudy  with  snow. 

On  the  27th  we  crossed  two  lakes,  and  performed  a  circuitous 
route,  frequently  crossing  high  hills  to  avoid  those  lakes  which 
were  not  frozen  ;  during  the  day  one  of  the  women  made  a  hole 
through  the  ice,  and  caught  a  fine  pike,  which  she  gave  to  us ; 
the  Indians  would  not  partake  of  it,  from  the  idea  (as  we  after- 
wards learnt,)  that  we  should  not  have  sufficient  for  ourselves : 
■'We  are  accustomed  to  starvation,"  said  they,  "  but  you  are 
not."  In  the  evening  we  halted  near  Rocky  Lake.  I  accom- 
panied one  of  the  Indians  to  the  summit  of  a  hill,  where  he  shew- 
ed me  a  dark  horizontal  cloud,  extending  to  a  considerable  dis- 
tance along  the  mountains  in  the  perspective,  which  ho  said  was 
occasioned  by  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  and  was  considered  as  a  good 
guide  to  all  the  hunters  in  the  vicinity.  On  our  return  we  saw 
two  untenanted  bears'  dens. 

The  night  was  cloudy  with  heavy  snow  ;  yet  the  following 
morning  we  continued  our  tedious  march,  many  of  the  lakes  re- 
mained still  open,  the  rocks  high  and  covered  with  snow,  which 
continued  to  fall  all  day,  consequently  we  effected  but  a  trifling 
distance,  and  that  too  with  much  difficulty.  In  the  evening  we 
halted  ;  having  only  performed  about  seven  miles.  One  of  the 
Indians  gave  us  a  fish  which  he  had  caught,  though  he  had  no- 
thing for  himself;  and  it  was  with  much  trouble  that  he  could  be 
prevailed  upon  to  partake  of  it.  The  night  was  cloudy  with  snow. 
On  the  29th  we  set  out  through  deep  snow  and  thick  wood'  ;  and 


I 


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244 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE   SHORES 


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after  crossing  two  small  lakes  slopped  to  breakfast,  sending  tiic 
women  on  before,  as  they  had  already  complained  of  lameness, 
and  could  not  keep  pace  with  the  party.  It  was  not  long  before 
we  overtook  them  on  the  banks  of  a  small  lake,  which  though  in- 
finitely less  in  magnitude  than  many  we  had  passed,  yet  had  not 
a  particle  of  ice  on  its  surface.  It  was  shoal,  had  no  visible  cur- 
rentj  and  was  surrounded  by  hills.  We  had  nothing  to  eat,  and 
were  not  very  near  an  establishment  where  food  could  be  pro- 
cured ;  however,  as  we  proceeded,  the  lakes  were  frozen,  and  we 
quickened  our  pace,  stopping  but  twice  for  the  hunters  to  smoke. 
Nevertheless  the  distance  we  completed  was  but  trifling,  and  at 
night  we  halted  near  a  lake,  the  men  being  tired,  and  much  bruis- 
ed from  constantly  falling  amongst  thick  broken  woods  and  loose 
stones  concealed  under  the  snow.  The  night  was  blowing  and 
hazy  with  snow. 

On  the  30th  we  set  out  with  the  expectation  of  gaining  the 
Slave  Lake  in  the  evening  ;  but  our  progress  was  again  impeded 
by  the  same  causes  as  before,  so  that  the  whole  day  was  spent  in 
forcing  our  way  through  thick  woods  and  o \er  swamps  covered 
with  snow.  We  had  to  walk  over  pointed  and  loose  rocks,  which 
sliding  from  under  our  feet,  made  our  path  dangerous,  and  often 
threw  us  down  several  feet  on  sharp-edged  stones  lying  beneath 
the  snow.  Once  we  had  to  climb  a  towering,  and  almost  per- 
pendicular, rock,  which  not  only  detained  us,  but  was  the  cause 
of  great  anxiety  for  the  safety  of  the  women,  v»uo  being  heavily 
laden  with  furs,  and  one  of  them  with  a  child  on  her  back,  could 
not  exert  themselves  with  the  activity  which  such  a  task  required. 
Fortunately  nothing  serious  occurred,  though  one  of  them  once 
fell  with  considerable  violence.  During  the  day  one  of  the  hun- 
ters broke  through  the  ice,  but  was  soon  extricated  ;  when  it  be- 
came dark  we  halted  near  the  Bow  String  Portage,  greatly  disap- 
pointed at  not  having  reached  the  lake.  The  weather  was  cloudy, 
accompanied  with  thick  mist  and  snow.  The  Indians  expected  to 
have  found  here  a  bear  in  its  den,  and  to  have  made  a  hearty  meal 
of  its  flesh  ;  inr.eed  it  had  been  the  subject  of  conversation  all  day, 
and  they  had  even  gone  so  far  as  to  divide  it,  frequently  asking 
me  what  part  I  preferred  ;  but  when  we  came  to  the  spot — oh ! 


I'M 


OF    THK    POLAR    SEA. 


245 


lamentable !  it  had  already  fallen  a  prey  to  the  devouring  appe- 
titcsof  some  .^ore  fortunate  hunters,  who  had  only  left  sufficient 
ovidence  that  such  a  thing;  had  once  existed.  One  of  our  men, 
iiowever,  caught  a  fish,  which  with  the  assistance  of  some  weed 
scraped  from  the  rocks,  {tripe,  de.  roche,)  which  forms  a  glutinous 
substance,  made  us  a  tolerable  supper ;  it  was  not  of  the  most 
choice  kind,  but  yet  good  enough  for  hungry  men.  While  we 
were  eating  it  I  perceived  one  of  the  women  busily  employed 
scraping  an  old  skin,  the  contents  of  which  her  husband  presented 
us  with.  They  consisted  of  pounded  meat,  fat,  and  a  greater  pro- 
portion of  Indians'  and  deers'  hair  than  either  ;  and  though  such  a 
mixture  may  not  appear  very  alluring  to  an  English  stomach, 
it  was  thought  a  great  luxury  after  three  days'  privation  in  these 
cheerless  regions  of  America.  Indeed  had  it  not  been  for  the  pre- 
caution and  generosity  of  the  Indians,  we  must  have  gone  without 
sustenance  until  we  had  reached  the  fort. 

On  the  first  of  November  our  men  began  to  make  a  raft  to  en- 
able us  to  cross  a  river  which  was  not  even  frozen  at  the  edges. 
It  was  soon  finished,  and  three  of  us  embarked,  being  seated  up 
to  the  ancles  in  water.  We  each  took  a  pine  branch  for  a  paddle, 
and  made  an  effort  to  gain  the  opposite  shore,  in  which,  after  some 
time,  (and  not  without  strong  apprehensions  of  drifting  into  the 
Slave  Lake,)  we  succeeded.  In  two  hours'  time  the  whole  party 
was  over,  with  a  comfortable  addition  to  it  in  the  shape  of  some 
tine  fish,  which  the  Indians  had  caught ;  of  course  we  did  not  for- 
;[et  to  take  these  friends  with  us,  and  after  passing  several  lakes, 
to  one  of  which  we  saw  no  termination,  we  halted  within  eight 
miles  of  the  fort.     The  Great  Slave  Lake  was  not  frozen. 

In  crossing  a  narrow  branch  of  the  lake  I  fell  through  the  ice,  but 
received  no  injury  ;  and  at  noon  we  arrived  at  Fort  Providence,  and 
nere  received  by  Mr.  Weeks,  a  clerk  of  the  North- West  Com- 
pany, and  in  charge  of  the  establishment.  I  found  several  packets 
of  letters  for  the  officers,  which  I  was  desirous  of  sending  to  them 
immediately  ;  but  as  the  Indians  and  their  wives  complained  of 
illness  and  inability  to  return  before  they  had  rested,  a  flagon  of 
mixed  spirits  was  given  them,  and  their  sorrows  were  soon  for- 
gotten, and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  pronounced  themselves 


24G 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


•  3  1.1 


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excellent  hunters,  and  capable  of  going  any  where ;  however,  ihcu 
boasting  ceased  with  the  last  drop  of  the  bottle,  when  a  crvinir 
scene  took  place,  which  would  have  continued  half  the  night,  had 
not  the  magic  of  an  additional  quantity  of  spirits  dried  their  tears 
and  once  more  turned  their  mourning  into  joy.  It  was  a  satisfac- 
tion to  me  to  behold  these  poor  creatures  enjoying  themselves 
for  they  had  behaved  in  the  most  exemplary  and  active  manner 
towards  the  party,  and  with  a  generosity  and  sympathy  seldom 
found  even  in  the  more  civilized  parts  of  the  world  ;  and  the  at- 
tention and  affection  which  they  manifested  towards  their  wives 
evinced  a  benevolence  of  disposition  and  goodness  of  nature  which 
could  not  fail  to  secure  the  approbation  of  the  most  indifferent,  ob- 
server. 

The  accounts  I  here  received  of  our  goods  were  of  so  unsatis- 
factory a  nature,  that  I  determined  to  proceed,  as  soon  as  the  lake 
was  frozen,  to  Moose-Deer  Island,  or  if  necessary  to  the  Atha- 
basca Lake ;  both  to  inform  myself  of  the  grouac^s  of  the  uncere- 
monious and  negligent  manner  in  which  the  Expedition  had  been 
treated,  and  to  obtain  a  suhicient  supply  of  ammunition  and  other 
stores,  to  enable  it  to  leave  its  present  situation,  and  proceed  for 
the  attainment  of  its  ultimate  object. 

Nove?nbcr  9. — I  despatched  to  Fort  Enterprize  one  of  the  men, 
with  the  letters  and  a  hundred  musket  balls,  which  Mr.  Weeks 
lent  me  on  the  condition  that  they  should  be  returned  the  first 
opportunity.  An  Indian  and  his  wife  accompanied  the  messenger. 
Lieutenant  Franklin  was  made  acquainted  with  the  exact  state  of 
things;  and  I  awaited  with  much  impatience  the  freezing  of  the 
lake. 

November  16. — A  band  of  Slave  Indians  came  to  the  fort  with 
a  few  furs  and  some  bears'  grease.  Though  we  had  not  seen  any 
of  them,  it  appeared  that  they  had  received  information  of  our 
being  in  the  country  ;  and  knew  the  precise  situation  of  our  house, 
which  they  would  have  visited  long  ago,  but  from  the  fear  they 
had  of  being  pillaged  by  the  Copper  Indians.  I  questioned  the 
chief  about  the  Great  Bear  and  Martin  Lakes,  their  distance  from 
Fort  Enterprize,  &c. ;  but  his  answers  were  so  vague  and  unsatis- 
factory that  they  were  not  worth  attention  ;  his  description  of 


d- 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


247 


Bouleau's  Route,  (which  he  said  was  the  shortest  and  best,  and 
abundant  in  animals,)  was  very  defective,  though  the  relative 
points  were  sufficiently  characteristic,  had  we  not  possessed  a 
better  route.  He  had  never  been  at  the  sea ;  and  knew  nothing 
about  the  mouth  of  the  Copper-Mine  River.  In  the  evening  he 
made  his  young  men  dance,  and  sometimes  accompanied  them 
himself.  They  had  four  feathers  in  each  hand.  When  one  com- 
menced moving  in  a  circular  form,  lifting  both  feet  at  the  same 
time,  similar  to  jumping  sideways.  After  a  short  time  a  second 
and  a  third  joined,  and  afterwards  the  whole  band  was  dancing, 
some  in  a  state  of  nudity,  others  half  dressed,  singing  an  unmusi- 
cal wild  air  with  (I  suppose)  appropriate  words ;  the  particular 
sounds  of  which  were,  ha !  ha !  ha !  uttered  vociferously,  and 
ivith  great  distortion  of  countenance,  and  peculiar  attitude  of  body, 
the  feathers  being  always  kept  in  a  tremulous  motion.  The  en- 
suing day  I  made  the  chief  acquainted  with  the  object  of  our  mis- 
sion, and  recommended  him  to  keep  at  peace  with  his  neighbour- 
ing tribes,  and  to  conduct  himself  with  attention  and  friendship 
towards  the  whites.  I  then  gave  him  a  medal,  telling  him  it  was 
the  picture  of  the  King,  whom  they  emphatically  term  "  their 
Great  Father." 

November  18. — We  observed  two  mock  moons  at  equal  dis- 
tances from  the  central  one ;  and  the  whole  were  encircled  by  a 
halo :  the  colour  of  the  inner  edge  of  the  large  circle  was  a  light 
red,  inclining  to  a  faint  purple. 

November  20. — ^Two  parhelia  were  observable  with  a  halo  ;  the; 
colours  of  the  inner  edge  of  the  circle  were  a  bright  carmine  and 
red  lake,  intermingled  with  a  rich  yellow,  forming  a  purplish 
orange ;  the  outer  edge  was  pale  gamboge. 

December  5. — A  man  was  sent  some  distance  on  the  lake,  to 
see  if  it  was  sufficiently  frozen  for  us  to  cross.  I  need  scarcely 
mention  my  satisfaction,  when  he  returned  with  the  pleasing  in- 
formation that  it  was. 

December  7. — I  quitted  Fort  Providence,  being  accompanied 
by  Mr.  Wentzel,  Beauparlant,  and  two  other  Canadians,  provided 
with  dogs  and  sledges.  We  proceeded  along  the  borders  of  the 
!aki;.  occasionally  crossing   deep   bays :  and  ut  dusk  encamped 


'f 


i 


m 


I  if! 


iV'i,  'IT- 


WW' 


m\ 


/i 


t^ 


-^V 


248 


A  JOURNEY   TO  THE    SHORES 


at  the   Gros   Cap,  having  proceeded  a  distance  of  twenty-jiy, 
miles. 

December  8. — We  set  out  on  the  lake  with  an  excessively  cold 
north-west  wind,  and  were  frequently  interrupted  by  laroe  piccgj, 
of  ice  which  had  been  thrown  up  by  the  violence  of  the  Wiivcs 
during  the  progress  of  congelation,  and  at  dusk  we  encamped  on 
the  Rein-deer  Islands. 

The  night  was  fine,  with  a  feint  Aurora  Borealis.  Next  day 
the  wind  was  so  keen,  that  the  men  proposed  conveying  me  in  a 
sledge  that  I  might  be  the  less  exposed,  to  which,  after  sonio 
hesitation,  I  consented.  Accordingly  a  rein-deer  skin  and  a 
blanket  were  laid  along  the  sledge,  and  in  these  1  was  wrapped 
tight  up  to  the  chin,  and  lashed  to  the  vehicle,  with  just  leaving 
sufficient  play  for  my  head  to  perceive  when  I  was  about  to  bo 
upset  on  some  rougli  projecting  piece  of  ice.  Thus  equipped,  we 
set  off  before  the  wind  (a  favourable  circumstance  on  a  lake),  and 
went  on  very  well  until  noon ;  when  the  ice  being  driven  up  in 
ridges,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  obstruct  us  very  much,  I  was  re- 
leased ;  and  I  confess  not  unwillingly,  though  I  had  to  walk  the 
remainder  of  the  day. 

There  are  large  openings  in  many  parts  whej'e  the  ice  had 
separated ;  and  in  attempting  to  cross  one  of  them,  the  dogs  fell 
into  the  water,  and  were  saved  with  difficulty.  The  poor  animals 
suffered  dreadfully  from  the  cold,  and  narrowly  escaped  being 
frozen  to  death.  We  had  quickened  our  pace  towards  the  close 
of  the  day,  but  could  not  get  sight  of  the  land ;  and  it  was  not 
till  the  sun  liad  set  that  we  perceived  it  about  four  mi^es  to  our 
left,  which  obliged  us  to  turn  back,  and  head  the  wind.  It  was 
then  so  cold,  that  two  of  the  party  were  frozen  almost  immedi- 
ately about  the  face  and  ears.  I  escaped,  from  having  the  good 
fortune  to  possess  a  pair  of  gloves  made  of  rabbits-skin,  vvi'li 
which  I  kept  constantly  chafing  the  places  which  began  to  be 
affected.  At  six  P.M.  we  arrived  at  the  fishing-huts  near  Stony 
Island,  and  remained  there  the  night.  The  Canadians  were  not 
a  little  surprised  at  seeing  us,  whom  they  had  already  given  up 
for  lost — nor  less  so  at  the  manner  by  which  we  had  come— -for 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


249 


ihey  all  affirmed,  that  the  lake  near  them  was  quite  free  from  ice 
the  day  before. 

December  10. — At  an  early  hour  we  quitted  the  huts,  lashed  on 
sledges  as  before,  with  some  little  addition  to  our  party ;  and  at 
three  hours  thirty  minutes  P.M.  arrived  at  the  North-West  Fort 
on  Moose-Deer  Island,  where  I  was  received  by  Mr.  Smith,  with 
whom  I  had  been  acquainted  at  the  Athabasca.  He  said  he 
partly  expected  me.  The  same  evening  I  visited  Messrs.  M'Vicar 
and  M'Aulay  at  Hudson's  Bay  Fort,  when  I  found  the  reports 
concerning  our  goods  were  but  too  true,  there  being  in  reality 
but  five  packages  for  us.  I  also  was  informed  that  two  Esqui- 
maux, Augustus  the  chief,  and  Junius  his  servant,  who  had  been 
sent  from  Fort  Churchill  by  Governor  Williams,  to  serve  in  the 
capacity  of  interpreters  to  the  Expedition,  were  at  the  Fort.  The 
men  were  short  of  stature  but  muscular,  apparently  good-natured, 
and  peifectly  acquainted  with  the  purpose  for  which  they  were 
intended.  They  had  built  themselves  a  snow-house  on  an  adja- 
cent island,  where  they  used  frequently  to  sleep.  The  following 
(lay  I  examined  the  pieces,  and  to  my  great  disappointment  found 
them  to  consist  of  three  kegs  of  spirits,  already  adulterated  by  the 
voyagers  who  had  brought  them  ;  a  keg  of  flour,  and  thirty-five 
pounds  of  sugar,  instead  of  sixty.  The  ammunition  and  tobacco, 
the  two  most  essential  requisites,  were  left  behind. 

I  lost  no  time  in  making  a  demand  from  both  parties ;  and 
though  their  united  list  did  not  furnish  the  half  of  what  was  re- 
quired, yet  it  is  possible  that  every  thing  was  given  by  them 
which  could  be  spared  consistent  with  their  separate  interests, 
particularly  by  Mr.  M'Vicar,  who,  in  many  articles,  gave  me  the 
whole  he  had  in  his  possession.  These  things  were  sent  away 
immediately  for  Fort  Enterprize,  when  an  interpreter  arrived 
with  letters  from  Lieutenant  Franklin,  which  referred  to  a  series 
of  injurious  reports  said  to  have  been  propagated  against  us  by 
some  one  at  Fort  Providence. 

Finding  a  sufficiency  of  goods  could  not  be  provided  at  Moose- 
Deer  Island,  I  determined  to  proceed  to  the  Athabaca  Lake,  and 
ascertain  the  inclinations  of  the  gentlemen  there.  With  this  view 
I  communicated  my  intentions  to  both  parties  ;  but  could  only  get 

I  i 


'VI 


250 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THF.  SHORES 


dogs  enough  I'rom  the  North-West  Company  to  carry  the  necco- 
sary  provisions  for  the  journey.  Indeed  Mr.  Smith  informed 
me  plainly  he  was  of  opinion  that  nothing  could  be  spared  at 
Fort  Chipevvyan  ;  that  goods  had  never  been  transported  so  lontr 
a  journey  in  the  winter  season,  and  that  the  same  dogs  <;oulcl 
not  possibly  go  and  return;  besides,  it  was  very  doubtful  ii' I 
could  be  provided  with  dogs  there ;  and  finally,  that  the  distance 
was  great,  and  would  take  sixteen  days  to  perform  it.  He  add- 
ed, that  the  provisions  would  be  mouldy  and  bad,  and  that,  from 
having  to  walk  constantly  in  snow-shoes,  I  should  suffer  a  'Teat 
deal  of  misery  and  fatigue.  Notwithstanding  these  .issertions. 
on  the  23d  of  December  I  left  the  Fort,  with  Beauparlant  and  a 
Bois-brule,  each  having  a  sledge  drawn  by  dogs,  laden  with 
pemmican.  We  crossed  an  arm  of  the  lake,  and  entered  the 
Little  Buffalo  River,  which  is  connected  with  the  Salt  River, 
and  is  about  fifty  yards  wide  at  its  junction  with  the  lake — the 
water  is  brackish.  This  route  is  usually  taken  in  the  winter,  as 
it  cuts  off  a  large  angle  in  going  to  the  Great  Slave  River.  In 
the  afternoon  we  passed  two  empty  fishing-huts,  and  in  the  even- 
ing encamped  amongst  some  high  pines  on  the  banks  of  the 
river,  having  had  several  snow  showers  during  the  day,  which 
considerably  impeded  the  dogs,  so  that  we  had  not  proceeded 
more  than  fifteen  miles. 

December  24  and  25. — We  continued  along  the  river,  frequently 
making  small  portages  to  avoid  going  round  the  points,  and  pass- 
ed some  small  canoes,  which  the  Indians  had  left  for  the  winter. 
The  snow  was  so  deep  that  the  dogs  were  obliged  to  stop  every 
ten  minutes  to  rest  themselves  ;  and  the  cold  so  excessive,  that 
both  the  men  were  badly  frozen  on  both  sides  of  the  face  and 
chin.  At  length,  having  come  to  a  long  meadow,  which  the 
dogs  could  not  cross  that  night,  we  halted  in  an  adjoining  wood, 
and  were  presently  joined  by  a  Canadian,  who  was  on  his  return 
to  the  Fort,  and  who  treated  us  with  some  fresh  meat  in  exchange 
for  some  pemmicau.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  day  we  had 
seen  numerous  tracks  of  the  moose,  buffalo,  and  marten. 

December  2Q. — ^l^he  weather  was  so  cold  that  we  were  compel- 
led to  run  to  prevent  ourselves  from  freezing ;  our  route  lay  across 


OF    THL    POLAR    ST.A. 


iiSl 


some  large  meadows  which  appeared  to  abound  with  animals, 
thoii2;h  the  Indians  around  Slave  Lake  aro  in  a  state  of  great 
want.  About  noon  we  passed  a  sulphur-sticam,  which  ran  into 
the  river  ;  it  appeared  to  come  from  a  plain  about  fifty  yards  dis- 
tant. There  were  no  rocks  near  it,  and  the  soil  through  which 
it  took  its  course  was  composed  of  a  reddish  clay.  I  was  much 
trailed  by  the  strings  of  the  snow-shoes  during  the  day,  and  once 
crot  a  severe  fall,  occasioned  by  the  dogs  running  over  one  of  my 
feet,  and  dragging  me  some  distance,  my  snow-shoe  having  be- 
come entangled  with  the  sledge.  In  the  evening  we  lost  our 
way,  from  the  great  similarity  of  appearance  in  the  country,  and 
it  was  dark  before  we  found  it  again,  when  we  halted  in  a  thick 
wood,  after  having  come  about  sixteen  miles  from  the  last  en- 
campment.    Much  snow  fell  during  the  night. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  87th  of  December,  we  continued  our 
journey  along  the  surface  of  a  long  but  narrow  lake,  and  then 
through  a  wood,  which  brought  us  to  the  grand  detour  on  the 
Slave  River.  The  weather  was  extremely  cloudy,  with  occasional 
falls  of  snow,  which  tended  greatly  to  impede  our  progress, 
from  its  gathering  in  lumps  between  the  dogs'  toes;  and  though 
they  did  not  go  very  fast,  yet  my  left  knee  pained  me  so  much, 
that  I  found  it  difficult  to  keep  up  with  them.  At  three  P.M.  we 
halted  within  nine  miles  of  the  Salt  River,  and  made  a  hearty 
meal  of  mouldy  pemmican. 

December  28  and  29. — We  had  much  difficulty  in  proceeding 
owing  to  the  poor  dogs  being  quite  worn  out,  and  their  feet  per- 
fectly raw.  We  endeavoured  to  tie  shoes  on  them,  to  afford 
them  some  little  relief,  but  they  continually  came  off  when  amongst 
deep  snow,  so  that  it  occupied  one  person  entirely  to  look  after 
them.  In  this  state  they  were  hardly  of  any  use  amongst  the 
steep  ascents  of  the  portages,  when  we  were  obliged  to  drag  the 
sledges  ourselves.  We  found  a  few  of  the  rapids  entirely  frozen. 
Those  that  were  not  fead  holes  and  large  spaces  about  them,  from 
whence  issued  a  thick  vapour,  and  in  passing  this  we  found  it  par- 
ticularly cold ;  but  what  appeared  most  curious  was  the  number 
of  small  fountains  which  rose  through  the  ice,  and  often  rendered 
it  doubtful  which  way  we  should  take.     I  was  much  disappoint- 


HIm 

Hi 

ii|V|tM|.jn 

Kf  J 

Bjj '  ifw^Kg^BO^ 

ifa^^'y 

ijSy^nnB 

1^1     i 

^k  V 

ii 


I'i 


I 


252 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


'-    if  ■^■'   ■•      i     §-1-  E   I  i-'i^j-'i 


pfciiifi^te.^.. 


ed  at  finding  several  falls  (which  Iliad  intended  to  sketch)  frozen 
almost  even  with  the  upper  and  lower  parts  of  the  stream ;  ihf. 
ice  was  connected  by  a  thin  arch,  and  the  rushing  of  the  water 
underneath  might  he  heard  at  a  considerable  distance  from  tlio 
place.  On  the  banks  of  these  rapids  there  was  a  constant  over- 
flowing of  the  water,  but  in  such  small  quantities  as  to  freeze  ho- 
fore  it  had  reached  the  surface  of  the  central  ice,  so  that  we  pass- 
ed between  two  ridges  of  icicles,  the  transparency  of  which  was 
beautifully  contrasted  by  the  Hakes  of  snow  and  the  dark  green 
branches  of  the  over-hanging  pine. 

Beauparlant  complained  bitterly  of  the  cold  whilst  among  the 
rapids,  but  no  sooner  had  he  reached  the  upper  part  of  the  river 
than  he  found  the  change  of  the  temperature  so  great,  that  he 
vented  his  indignation  against  the  heat. — "  Mais  c'est  terrible," 
said  he,  to  be  frozen  and  sun-burnt  in  the  same  day.  The  poor 
fellow,  who  had  been  a  long  time  in  the  country,  regarded  it  as 
the  most  severe  punishment  that  co  'l  have  been  inflicted  on  him, 
and  would  willingly  have  given  a  jjart  of  his  wages  rather  than 
this  disgrace  had  happened ;  for  there  is  a  pride  amongst  "  Old 
Voyagers,"  which  makes  thorn  consider  the  state  of  being  frost- 
bitten as  effeminate,  and  only  excusable  in  a  "  Pork-eater,"  or 
one  newly  come  into  the  country.  I  was  greatly  fatigued,  and 
suffered  acute  pains  in  the  knees  and  legs,  botii  of  which  were 
much  swollen  when  we  halted  a  little  above  the  Dog  River. 

December  30  and  31. — Our  journey  these  days  was  by  far  the 
most  annoying  we  had  yet  experienced  ;  but  independent  of  the 
vast  masses  of  ice  that  were  piled  on  one  another,  as  well  as  the 
numerous  open  places  about  the  rapids  (and  they  did  not  a  little 
impede  us,)  there  was  a  strong  gale  from  the  north-west,  and  so 
dreadfully  keen,  that  our  time  was  occupied  in  rubbing  the  fro- 
zen parts  of  the  face,  and  in  attempting  to  warm  the  hands,  in 
order  to  be  prepared  for  the  next  operation.  Scarcely  was  one 
place  cured  by  constant  friction  than  another  was  frozen;  and 
though  there  was  nothing  pleasant  about  it,  yet  it  was  laughable 
enough  to  observe  the  dexterity  which  v^'as  used  in  changing  the 
position  of  the  hand  from  the  face  to  the  mitten,  and  vice  versa. 
One  of  the  men  was  severely  affected,  the  whole  side  of  his  face 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


253 


heing  almost  raw.  Towards  sunset  I  suffered  so  much  in  my 
knee  and  ankle,  from  a  recent  sprain,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  I 
could  proceed  with  snow-shoes  to  the  encampment  on  Stony 
Islands.  But  in  this  point  I  was  not  singular ;  for  Beauparlaiit 
was  almost  as  bad,  and  without  the  same  cause. 


1821.  ^G  set  out  with  a  quick  step,  the  wind  still  blowing 
January  1.  fresh  from  the  north-west,  which  seemed  in  some  mea- 
sure to  invia;oiate  the  dogs ;  for  towards  sunset  they  left  me  a 
eonsidcrable  distance  behind.  Indeed  my  legs  and  ankles  were 
now  so  swelled,  thai  it  was  excessive  pain  to  drag  the  snow-shoes 
after  me.  At  night  we  halted  on  the  hanks  of  Stony  River,  when 
Io;ave  the  men  a  glass  of  grog,  to  commemorate  the  new  year; 
ind  the  next  day,  January  2,  we  arrived  at  Fort  Chipewyan,  after 
a  journey  of  ten  days  and  four  hours — the  shortest  time  in  which 
the  distance  had  been  done  at  the  same  season  of  the  year.  I 
found  Messrs.  G.  Keith  and  S.  M'Gilliway  in  charge  of  the  fort, 
who  were  not  a  little  surprised  to  see  me.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  the  new  year  is  the  rejoicing  season  of  the  Canadians, 
when  they  are  generally  intoxicated  a  few  days.  1  postponed 
making  any  demands  till  this  time  of  festivity  should  cease ;  but 
on  the  same  day  I  went  over  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Fort,  and  de- 
livered Lieutenant  Franklin's  letters  to  Mr.  Simpson.  If  they 
were  astonished  at  one  side  to  see  me,  the  amazement  was  still 
greater  on  the  other;  for  reports  were  so  far  in  advance,  that 
we  were  said  to  have  already  fallen  by  the  spears  of  the  Esqui- 
maux. 

January  3. — I  made  a  demand  from  both  parties  for  supplies  ; 
such  as  ammunition,  gun-flints,  axes,  files,  clothing,  tobacco,  and 
spirits.  I  stated  to  them  our  extreme  necessity,  and  that  without 
their  assistance  the  Expedition  must  be  arrested  in  its  progress. 
The  answer  from  the  Noth-West  gentlemen  was  satisfactory 
enougN ;  but  on  the  Hudson  Bay  side  I  was  told,  "that  any  far- 
ther assistance  this  season  entirely  depends  on  the  arrival  of  sup- 
phes,  expected  in  a  few  weeks  hence  from  a  distant  establish- 
ment." I  remained  at  Fort  Chipewyan  five  weeks,  during  which 
time  some  laden  sledges  did  arrive,  but  I  could  not  obtain  any 


,3r::;i:  m 


25i 


A   JOURNEY    lO  HIE   SlIORKS 


1^^' 


UmmA 


f'j/i-  ii/j 


aildition  to  iht)  lew  arliclns  I  had  prorAired  nl  first,     A  packet  oi 
letters  for  us  from  EnjE;land,  havin«;  arrived,  I  made  preparations 
for  my  return,  but  not  before  I  had  requested  both  Companies  to 
send,  next  year,  from  the  depot  a  quantity  of  goods  for  our  use 
specified  in  hsts  furnished  to  them. 

The  wcatlier,  during  my  abode  at  Chipcwyan,  was  generally 
mild,  with  occasional  heavy  storms,  the  greater  pait  of  which  was 
generally  anticipated  by  the  activity  of  the  Aurora  liorealis ,  and 
this  I  observed  had  been  the  case  between  Fort  Providence  and 
the  Athabasca  in  December  and  January,  though  not  invariabUsd 
in  other  parts  of  the  country.  One  of  the  partners  of  iheNorih. 
West  Company  related  to  me  the  following  singular  story  : — <'  H). 
was  travclliiiv:  in  a  canoe  in  the  English  River,  and  had  landud 
near  the  Kettle  Fall,  when  the  coruscations  of  the  Aurora  Borta. 
lis  were  so  vivid  and  low,  that  the  Canadians  fell  on  their  facci, 
and  began  praying  and  crying,  fearing  ihey  should  be  killed;  ho 
himself  threw  away  his--  gun  and  knife,  that  they  might  not  iiitmct 
the  flashes,  for  they  were  within  two  feet  from  the  earth,  lliitinf 
along  with  incredible  swifi'ness,  and  moving  parallel  to  its  sur- 
face. They  continued  for  upwards  of  live  minutes,  as  near  as  he 
could  judge,  and  made  aloud  rustling  noise,  like  the  waving  of  a 
flag  in  a  strong  breeze.  After  they  had  ceased,  the  sky  becanii 
clear  with  'Ittle  wind." 

February  9. — Having  got  every  thing  arranged,  and  havingliad 
a  hearty  breakfast  (with  a  coup  de  I'eau  de  vie,  a  custom  amongst 
the  traders),  I  took  my  departure,  or  rather  attempted  to  do  so. 
for  on  going  to  the  gate  there  was  a  long  range  of  women,  who 
came  to  bid  me  farewell.  They  were  all  dressed  (after  the  man- 
ner of  the  country)  in  blue  or  green  cloth,  with  their  hair  fresh 
greased,  separated  before,  and  falling  down  behind,  not  in  care- 
less tresses,  but  in  a  good  sound  tail,  fastened  with  black  tape  or 
riband.  This  was  considered  a  great  compliment,  and  the  cere- 
mony consisted  in  embracing  the  whole  party. 

I  had  with  me  four  sledges,  laden  with  goods  for  the  Expedi- 
tion, a  fifth  one  belonging  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  We 
returned  exactly  by  the  same  route,  suffering  no  other  inconve- 
nience but  that  arising  from  the  chafing  of  the  snow-shoe,  and  bad 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


255 


laving; had  H  Rci 


(veathcr.  Some  Indians,  whom  we  met  on  the  banks  of  the 
Little  Buffalo  River,  were  rather  surprised  at  seeing  us,  for  they 
had  heard  that  we  were  on  an  ishind,  which  was  surrounded  by- 
Esquimaux.  The  dogs  were  almost  worn  out,  and  their  feet  raw, 
ivhcn,  on  February  the  20th,  we  arrived  at  IVIoose-deer  Island  with 
our  snoods  ail  in  good  order.  Towards  the  end  of  the  month  two 
of  our  men  arrived  with  letters  from  Lieutenant  Franklin,  con- 
ainin?  some  fresh  demands,  the  major  part  of  which  I  was  fortu- 
nate enough  to  procure  without  the  least  trouble.  Having  arranged 
the  accounts  and  receipts  between  the  Companies  and  the  Expe- 
dition, and  sent  every  thing  before  me  to  Fort  Providence,  I  pre- 
pared for  my  departure  ;  and  it  is  but  justice  to  the  gentlemen  of 
both  parties  at  Moose-deer  Island  to  remark,  that  they  afforded 
Ihc  means  of  forwarding  our  stores  in  the  most  cheerful  and  plca- 
.aiit  manner. 

March  5. — I  took  leave  of  the  gentlemen  at  the  forts,  and,  in 
;lie  afternoon,  got  to  the  fisheries  near  Stony  Island,  where  I  found 
Mr.  M'Vicar,  who  was  kind  enough  to  have  a  house  ready  for  my 
reception ;  and  I  was  not  a  little  gratified  at  perceiving  a  pleasant 
looking  girl  employed  in  roasting  a  fine  joint,  and  afterwards  ar- 
ranging the  table  with  all  the  dexterity  of  an  accomplished  ser- 
vant. 

March  G. — We  set  out  at  day-light,  ai  d  breakfasted  at  the 
■icin-flecr  Islands.  As  the  day  advanced  the  iicai,  became  so  op- 
pressive, that  each  pulled  off  his  coat  and  ran  till  sunset,  when  we 
halted  with  two  men,  who  were  on  their  return  to  Moose-deer 
Island.  There  was  a  beautiful  Aurora  Borealis  in  the  night;  it 
rose  about  N.b.W,,  and  divided  into  three  bars,  diverging  at 
equal  distances  as  far  as  the  zenith,  and  then  converging  until 
they  met  in  the  opposite  horizon  ;  there  were  some  flashes  at 
ndit  an<j;les  to  the  bars. 

March  7. — We  arrived  at  Fort  Providence,  and  found  our 
stores  safe  and  in  good  order.  There  being  no  certainty  when  the 
Indian,  who  was  to  accompany  me  to  our  house,  would  arrive, 
and  my  impatience  to  join  my  companions  increasing  as  I  ap- 
proached it,  after  making  the  necessary  arrangements  with  Mr. 
Weeks  respecting  our  stores,  on  March  the  lOlh  I  quitted  the- 


Ji 


J 


■^- 


•» 


i 


i256 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


R       .JSflt    '  Ja*  lii  Kk.» 


f'iMty 


fort,  with  two  of  our  men,  who  had  each  a  couple  of  dogs  and  a 
sledge  laden  with  provision.     On  the  13th   we  met  the  Iiulian 
near  Icy  Portage,  who  was  sent  to  guide  me  back.     On  the  14th 
we  killed  a  deer,  and  gave  the  dogs  a  good  feed  ;  and  on  the  17th 
at  an  early  hour,  we  arrived  at  Fort  Enterprize,  having  travelled 
about  eighteen  miles  a-day.     I  had  the  pleasure  of  meelinf'-  my 
friends  all  in  good  health,  after  an  absence  of  nearly  five  months 
during  which  time  I  had  travelled  one  thousand  one  hundred  and 
four  miles,  on  snow-shoes,  and  had  no  other  covering  at  nio-hf 
in  the  woods,  than  a  blanket  and  deerskin,  with  the  thcrniome 
ter  frequently  at  —  40%  and  once  at  —  57°  ;  and  sometimes  pass 
ing  two  or  three  days  without  tasting  fond. 


s-v 


r . 


JlOh. 


../ 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA, 


251 


'./ 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Continuation  of  Proceedings  at  Fort  Eiiterprize — Some  account  of  Cloppci 
Indians — Preparations  for  the  Journey  to  the  Norlhv.  ard. 

March  18.  1  SHALL  now  give  a  brief  account  of  the  Copper  In- 
dian., termed  by  the  Chipewyans,  TuTftsaoi  ot-dinneh,  or  Birch- 
lim'  Indians.  They  were  originally  a  tribe  of  the  former  people, 
and,  according  to  their  own  account,  inhabited  the  south  side  of 
Great  Slave  Lake,  at  no  very  distant  period.  Their  language,  tra- 
ditions, and  customs,  are  essentially  the  same  with  those  of  the 
Chipewyans,  but  in  personal  character  they  have  greatly  the  ad- 
vantage of  that  people ;  a  circumstance  which  is  to  be  attributed, 
probably,  to  local  causes,  perhaps  to  their  procuring  their  food 
more  easily  and  iu  greater  abundance.  They  hold  women  in  the 
same  low  estimation  as  the  Chipewyans  do,  looking  upon  them 
as  a  kind  of  property,  which  the  stronger  may  take  from  the 
weaker,  whenever  there  is  just  reason  for  quarrelling,  if  the  par- 
lies are  of  their  own  nation,  or  whenever  they  meet,  if  the  weaker 
party  are  Dog-ribs  or  other  strangers.  They  sutler,  hovvuvcr,  the 
kinder  affections  to  show  themselves  occasionally;  they,  in  gene- 
ral, live  happily  with  their  wives,  the  women  arc  contented  with 
their  lot,  and  we  witnessed  several  instances  of  strong  attachment. 
Of  their  kindness  to  strangers  wc  arc  fully  qualified  to  sjieak ; 
their  love  of  property,  attention  to  their  interests,  and  fears  for 
the  future,  made  them  oncasionaliy  clamoious  and  unsteady  ;  but 
their  delicate  and  humane  attention  to  us,  in  a  season  of  great  dis- 
tress, at  a  future  period,  are  indelibly  engraven  on  our  memories. 
Of  their  notions  of  a  Deity,  or  future  state,  we  never  could  obtain 
any  satisfactory  account;  they  were  unwilling,  periiaps,  to  expose 
their  opinions  to  the  chance  of  ridicule.  Akaitcho  generally 
'.vadcil  our  questions  on  those  points,  but  expressed  a  desire  to 

K  K 


tM 


258 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


.»'•,    I  ' 


..  \  t. 


learn  from  us,  and  regularly  attended  Divine  Service  during  \\i<, 
residence  at  the  J'ort,  behaving  with  the  utmost  decorum. 

This  leader,  indeed,  and  many  others  of  his  tribe,  possessed  a 
laudable  curiosity,  which  might  easily  be  directed  to  the  most  im- 
portant ends  ;  and  I  believe,  that  a  well-conducted  Christian  mis- 
sion to  this  quarter  could  not  fail  of  producing  the  happiest  efl'ect. 
Old  Keskarraii  alone  used  boldly  to  express  his  disbelief  of  a  Su- 
preme Deity,  and  state  that  he  could  not  credit  the  existencoof  a 
Being,  whose  powei-  was  said  to  extend  every  where,  but  whom 
he  had  not  yet  seen,  although  he  was  now  an  old  man.  The  old 
sceptic  is  not  a  little  conceited,  as  the  following  exordium  to  one 
of  his  speeches  evinces  :  "  Jtis  very  stiange  that  I  never  meet  with 
any  one  who  is  equal  in  sense  to  myself"  The  same  old  man, 
in  one  of  his  communicative  moods,  related  to  us  the  following  tra- 
dition :  The  earth  had  been  formed,  but  continued  enveloped  in 
total  darkness,  when  u  bear  and  a  squirrel  met  on  the  shores  of  a 
lake  ;  a  dispute  arose  as  to  their  respective  powers,  which  they 
agreed  to  settle  by  running  in  opposite  directions  round  the  lake, 
anri  which  ever  arrived  fust,  was  to  evince  his  superiority  by  some 
signal  act  of  power.  The  squirrel  beat,  ran  up  a  tree,  and  loudly 
demanded  light,  which  instantly  beaming  forth,  discovered  a  bird 
dispelling  the  gloom  with  its  wings  ;  the  bird  was  afterwards  re- 
cognized to  be  a  crow.  The  !?quiiiel  next  broke  a  piece  of  hark 
from  the  tree,  endowed  it  with  the  power  of  floating,  and  said, 
Behold  the  material  which  shall  afford  the  future  inhabitants  of 
the  earth  the  means  of  traversing  the  waters. 

The  Indians  mv  not  the  fust  people  who  have  ascribed  the 
origin  of  nautics  to  the  ingenuity  of  the  squirrel.  The  Copper 
In<lians  consider  the  bear,  otter,  and  other  animals  of  prey,  or 
rather  some  kind  of  spirits  uhich  assume  the  forms  of  these  crea- 
tures, as  their  constant  enemies,  and  the  cause  of  every  misfortune 
which  attends  them  ;  and  in  seasons  of  difficulty  or  sickness  they 
alternately  deprecate  and  abuse  them. 

Few  of  this  nation  have  more  than  one  wife  at  a  time,  and 
none  but  the  leaders  iiave  mori-  than  two.  Akaitcho  has  three. 
and  the  mother  of  his  only  son  is  the  favourite.     They  frequently 


:  *l     '"       'i 


-l- 


**         'Mii,       'I.       I 

J'"i   V  ■ 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


25i) 


aiarry  two  sisters,  and  there  is  no  prohibition  to  tlie  intermarriage 
of  cousins,  but  a  man  is  restricted  from  marrying;-  his  niece. 

The  last  war  excursion  they  made  against  the  Ksquimaux  was 
about  ten  years  ago,  when  they  destroyed  about  thirty  persons,  at 
the  mouth  of  what  they  term  Stony-Point  River,  not  for  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Copper-Mine  River.  They  now  seem  desiious 
of  being  on  friendly  terms  with  that  persecuted  nation,  and  ho|je, 
through  our  means,  to  (jstablisii  a  lucrative  commerce  with  them. 
Indeed,  the  Copper  Indians  are  sensible  of  tlie  advantages  that 
would  accrue  to  them,  were  they  made  the  carriers  of  goods  be- 
tvvcen  the  traders  and  Esquimaux. 

At  the  time  of  Hearne's  visit,  the  Copper  Indians  being  unsup- 
plied  with  fire-arms,  were  oppressed  by  the  Chipewyans  ;  but 
even  that  traveller  had  occasion  to  praise  their  kindness  of  heart. 
Since  they  have  received  prms  from  the  traders,  the  Chipewyans 
are  fearful  of  venturing  upon  tlieir  lands  ;  and  all  of  that  nation, 
who  frequent  the  shores  of  Great  Slave  Lake,  hold  the  name  of 
Akaitcho  in  great  respect.  The  Chipewyans  have  no  leader  of 
equal  authority  amongst  thcm.selves. 

The  number  of  the  Copper  Indians  may  be  one  hundred  and 
ninety  souls,  viz.,  eighty  men  and  boys,  and  one  hundred  and  ten 
women  and  young  children.  There  :  e  forty-five  hunters  in  the 
tribe.  The  adherents  of  Akaitcho  amount  to  about  forty  men  and 
boys;  the  rest  follow  a  number  of  minor  chiefs. 

For  the  following  notices  of  the  nations  on  Mackenzie's  River, 
we  are  principally  indebted  to  Mr  Wentzel,  who  resided  for 
many  years  in  that  quai  ter. 

The  Thlingcha-dinneh,  or  Dog-ribs,  or,  as  they  are  sometimes 
termed  after  the  Crees,  who  formerly  warred  agamst  them,  S/avcs, 
inhabit  the  country  to  the  westward  of  the  Copper  Indians,  as  far 
as  Mackenzie's  River.  They  are  of  a  mild,  hospitable,  but  rather 
indolent  disposition.  They  spend  much  of  their  time  in  amuse- 
ments^ and  ave  fond  of  singing  and  dancing.  In  this  respect, 
and  in  another,  they  differ  very  widely  from  most  of  the  other 
Aborigines  of  North  America.  I  allude  to  their  kind  treatment 
of  the  women.  The  men  do  the  laborious  work,  whilst  thvir 
wives  employ  themselves  in  ornamenting  their  dresses  with  quilI 


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A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


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work,  and  in  other  occupations  suited  to  their  sex.  Mr.  Weni 
zel  lias  often  known  the  young  married  men  to  brinp;  specimens 
of  their  wives'  needle-work  to  the  forts,  and  exliibit  theiti  wiUi 
much  pride.  Kind  treatment  of  the  fair  sex  being;  usually  con- 
sidered as  an  indication  of  considerable  proejressive  civilization,  it 
might  be  worth  while  to  inquire  how  it  happens,  that  these  peo- 
ple have  stept  so  far  beyond  their  neighbours.  They  have  iiad. 
undoubtedly,  the  same  common  origin  with  the  Chipewyans,  for 
their  languages  differ  only  in  accent,  and  their  mode  of  life  is  es- 
sentially the  same.  We  have  not  sullicient  data  to  prosecute  the 
inquiry  with  any  hope  of  success,  but  we  may  recall  to  the  read- 
er's memory  |vhat  was  formerly  mentioned,  that  the  Dog-ribs  sa\ 
they  came  from  the  westward,  whilst  the  Chipewyans  say  that 
they  migrated  fi'oni  the  eastwai'd. 

When  banc's  of  Dog  ribs  meet  each  other  after  a  long  absence, 
they  perform  a  kinl  of  dance.  A  piece  of  ground  is  cleared  for 
the  purpose,  if  it  is  winter  of  the  snow,  or  if  summer  of  the 
bushes;  and  the  dance  frequently  lasts  for  two  or  three  days,  the 
parties  relieving  each  other  as  they  get  tired.  The  two  bands 
commence  the  dance  with  their  backs  turned  to  each  other,  the 
individuals  following  one  ano.her  in  Indian  file,  and  holding  the 
bow  in  the  left  hand  and  an  arrow  in  the  right.  They  approach 
obliquely,  after  many  turns,  and  when  the  two  bands  are  close!} 
back  to  back,  they  feign  to  sec  each  other  for  the  first  time,  and 
the  bow  is  instantly  transferred  to  the  right  hand,  and  the  arrow 
to  the  left,  signifying  tliat  it  is  not  their  intention  to  use  them 
against  their  friends.  At  a  fort  they  use  feathers  instead  of  bowv!, 
The  dance  is  accompanied  with  a  song.  These  people  are  the 
dancing-masters  of  the  country.  The  Copper  Indians  have  nei- 
ther dance  nor  music  but  wiiat  they  borrow  fiom  them.  On 
our  fi)st  interview  witli  Akaitcho,  at  Fort  Providence,  he  treat- 
ed us,  as  has  already  been  mentioned,  with  a  representation  of 
the  Dog-rib  dance  ;  and  Mr.  Back,  during  his  winter  journey. 
had  an  opportunity  of  observing  it  performed  by  the  Dog-rib^ 
themselves. 

The  chief  tribe  of  the  Dog-rib  nation,  termed  Horn  Mountain 
Indians,  inhabit  the  country  betwixt  lireal  Bear  Lake,  and  tht 


'm 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


2(il 


west  eiul  of  Great  Slave  Lake.  They  muster  about  two  hun- 
livd  men  and  boys  capable  of  pursuing  the  ciiase.  Small  ile- 
ucliments  of  the  nation  frequent  Marten  Lake,  and  during  the 
slimmer  hunt  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Fort  Enterprize.  Indeed 
this  part  of  the  country  was  formerly  exclusively  theirs,  and  most 
jflhe  lakes  and  remarkable  hills  bear  the  names  which  they  im- 
msed  upon  them.  As  the  Copper  Indians  s;enerally  pillage  them 
of  their  women  and  furs  when  they  meet,  they  endeavour  to 
avoid  them,  and  visit  their  ancient  quarters  on  the  barren  grounds 
only  by  stealth. 

Immediately  to  the  northward  of  the  Dog-ribs,  on  the  north 
side  of  Bear  Lake  River,  are  the  Kawcho-dinneh,  or  Hare  Indi- 
ans, who  also  speak  a  dialect  of  the  Chipewyan  language,  and 
have  nuich  of  the  same  manners  with  the  Dog-ribs,  but  are  con- 
sidered both  by  them  and  by  the  Copper  Indians,  to  be  great 
conjurers.  These  ])eople  report  that  in  their  hunting  excursions 
!o  tiie  northward  of  Great  Bear  Lake  they  meet  small  parties  of 
Esquimaux. 

Immediately  to  the  northward  of  the  Hare  Indians,  on  both 
banks  of  Makenzie's  River,  are  the  Tykothee-dinneh,  Loucheux, 
Squint-Eyes,  or  Quarrellc!>.  They  speak  a  language  distinct 
from  the  Chipewyan.  They  war  often  with  the  Esquimaux  at 
the  mouth  of  Mackenzie's  River,  but  have  occasionally  some 
peaceable  intercourse  with  them,  and  i  would  appear  that  they 
find  no  difficulty  in  understanding  each  other,  there  being  con- 
siderable similarity  in  their  languages.  Their  dress  also  resem- 
!iles  the  PiSquimaux,  and  differs  from  that  of  the  other  inhabitants 
of  iMackcnzic's  River.  The  Tykothee-dinneh  trade  with  Fort 
(lood-iiope.  situated  a  considerable  distance  below  the  confluence 
of  iiear  Lake  River,  with  Mackenzie's  River,  and  as  the  traders 
Mippose,  within  three  days'  march  of  the  Arctic  Sea.  It  is  the 
most  nc;  tiiern  establishment  of  the  North-West  Comj)any,  and 
"ioine  small  pieces  of  Russian  copper  coin  once  made  their  way 
'mlher  acioss  the  continent  from  the  westward.  Blue  or  while 
Innds  are  almost  the  only  articles  of  European  maniifiicture  co- 

'U.'(l  by  the  Loucheux,     They  perforate  the  septum  of  the  nose. 


i 


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4 


262 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


and  insert  in  the  openinj^  three  small  shells  which  they  procure 
at  a  hisjh  price  from  the  Esquimaux. 

On  the  west  hank  of  Mackenzie's  River  there  are  several  tribes 
who  speak  dialects  of  the  Chipewyan  lanojnage,  that  have  not  hj. 
therto  heen  mentioned.  The  fust  we  came  to,  on  tracing;  the  river 
to  the  southward  from  Fort  Good-Hope,  are  the  J3mbawfawhool. 
dinne/i,  or  Sheep  Indians.  They  i^nbabit  the  rocky  mountains 
near  the  sources  of  the  Dawhoot-dinneh  River  which  flows  into 
Mackenzie's,  and  are  but  little  known  to  the  traders.  Some  of 
them  have  visited  Fort  Good-Hope.  A  report  of  their  heinsj;  can- 
nibals may  have  ori4;;inated  in  an  imperfect  knowledjije  of  them. 

Some  distance  to  the  southward  of  this  people  are  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Indians,  a  small  tribe  which  musters  about  forty  men 
and  boys  capable  of  pursuing  the  chase.  They  diifer  hut  litlk^  i'rom 
the  next  wc  are  about  to  mention,  the  Edchawtawhoot-dinneh 
Strong-bow,  Beaver,  or  Thick-wood  Indians,  who  frequent  the 
Riviere  mix  Liards,  or  south  branch  of  Mackenzie's  River.  The 
Strons;-bows  resemble  the  Dog-ribs  somewhat  in  their  disposition; 
but  when  they  meet  they  assume  a  considerable  degree  of  supe- 
riority over  the  latter,  who  meekly  submit  to  the  haughtiness  of 
their  neighbours.  Until  the  year  IS13,  when  a  small  party  of 
them  from  some  unfortunate  provocation,  destroyed  Fort  Nelson 
on  the  Riviere  mix  Liards,  and  murdered  its  inmates,  the  Sirong- 
bovvs  were  considered  to  be  a  friendly  and  quiet  tribe,  and  es- 
teemed as  excellent  hunters.  These  people  take  their  names,  iu 
the  first  instance,  from  their  dogs.  A  young  man  is  the  father 
of  a  certain  dog,  but  when  he  is  married,  and  has  a  son,  he  styles 
himself  the  father  of  the  boy.  The  women  have  a  habit  of  re- 
proving the  dogs  very  tenderly  when  they  observe  them  fi<:ht- 
ing, — "  Are  you  not  ashamed,"  say  they,  •'  are  you  not  asliamed 
to  quarrel  with  your  little  brother  ?"  The  dogs  appear  to  under- 
stand the  reproof  and  sneak  ofl'. 

The  Strong-bows,  and  Rocky-Mountain  Indians,  have  a  tradition 
in  common  with  the  Dog-ribs,  that  they  cnnic  originally  from  the 
westward,  from  a  level  country,  where  there  was  no  winter,  which 
produced  trees,  and  large  fruits,  now  unlinown  to  thoni.  It  tvas 
inhabited  also  by  njany  strange  animals,  amongst  which  there  wa^ 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


2GA 


i  small  one  whose  visage  bore  a  striking  resemblanco  to  the  human 
countenance.  During  their  residence  in  this  land,  their  ancestors 
were  visited  by  a  man  who  healed  the  sick,  raised  the  dead,  and 
|)erformed  many  other  miracles,  enjoining  them  at  the  same  time 
to  lead  good  lives,  and  not  to  eat  of  the  entrails  ol'  animals,  nor  to 
use  the  brains  for  dressing  skins  until  alter  the  third  day  ;  and 
never  to  leave  the  skull  of  deer  upon  the  ground  within  the 
reach  of  dogs  and  wolves,  but  to  hang  them  carefully  upon  trees. 
Xoone  knew  from  whence  this  good  man  came,  or  whither  he 
went.  They  were  driven  from  that  land  by  the  rising  of  the 
waters,  and  following  the  tracks  of  animals  on  the  sea-shore,  they 
directed  their  course  to  the  northward.  At  length  they  came  to 
a  strait,  which  they  crossed  upon  a  raft,  but  the  soa  has  since  frozen, 
and  they  have  never  been  able  to  return.  These  traditions  are 
unknown  to  the  Chipewyans. 

The  number  of  men  and  boys  of  the  StronL;-bovv  nation,  who 
are  capable  of  hunting,  may  amount  to  seventy. 

There  are  some  other  tribes  who  also  s])cak  dialects  of  the 
Chipewyan,  upon  the  upper  branches  of  the  Riviere  aux  Liards, 
such  as  the  Nohhannie.sand  the  TsiUawhmvdnot-dinnch,  or  Brush- 
wood Indians.  They  are  but  little  known,  but  the  latter  are  sup- 
posed occasionally  to  visit  some  of  the  establishments  on  Peace 
River.  ,   ' 

Having  now  communicated  as  briefly  as  I  could  the  principal 
facts  that  come  to  our  knowledge  regarding  the  Indians  in  this 
quarter,  I  shall  resume  tl»e  narrative  of  events  at  Fort  Enterprize. 
—The  month  of  March  proved  fine.  The  thermometer  rose  once 
to  24°  above  zero,  and  fell  upon  another  day  49°  below  zero,  but 
the  mean  was  11'  57". 

On  the  23d  the  last  of  our  winters'  stock  of  deers'  meat  was 
expended,  and  we  were  compelled  to  issue  a  little  pounded  meat 
which  we  had  reserved  for  making  pemmican  for  summer  use. 
Our  nets,  which  were  set  under  the  ice  on  the  15lh,  produced 
only  two  or  three  small  fish  daily.  Amongst  these  was  the  round 
lish,  a  species  of  salmo,  which  we  had  not  seen  previously. 

On  the  following  day  two  Indians  came  with  a  message  from 
the  Hook,  the  chief  next  to  Akaitcho  in  authority  amongst  the 


• 


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264 


A  JOURNEY   TO  THE    SHORE: 


Copper  Indians.  His  band  was  between  West  Marion  and  Giva 
Bear  Lakes,  and  be  otrered  to  provide  a  quantity  of  dried  meat 
for  us  on  the  banks  of  the  Copper-Mine  River  in  the  bei^innin.r 
of  summer,  provided  we  sent  him  some  2;oods  and  ammunition 
It  was  in  bis  jiower  to  do  this  without  inconvenience,  as  he  2;pnc- 
rally  spends  the  summer  months  on  the  banks  of  the  river  near 
the  Copper  Mountain  ;  but  we  had  no  ^oods  to  spare,  and  I  coulj 
not  venture  to  send  any  part  of  our  small  stock  of  amnimiitjon 
until  I  saw  what  the  necessities  of  our  own  party  refjuircd.  I 
told  them,  however,  that  I  would  fj;ladly  receive  cilher  provisions 
or  leather  when  we  met,  and  would  pay  fur  them  by  noU's  on 
the  i.orth-West  Company's  post;  but,  to  prevent  any  niisunder- 
standinci:  with  Mr,  Weeks,  1  requested  them  to  take  their  winter's 
colltrction  of  furs  to  Fort  Providence  before  they  went  to  the 
Co|j|»er-Mine  River.  They  assured  me  that  the  Hook  would 
watch  anxiously  for  our  passing,  as  he  was  unwell,  and  wished  to 
coi-.suli  the  doctor. 

Several  circumstances  having  come  lately  to  my  knowled^rc  thai 
led  me  to  suspect  the  fidelity  of  our  interpreters,  they  were  ex 
amined^pon  this  subject.  It  appeared  that  in  their  intercourse 
with  the  Indians  they  have  contracted  very  fearful  ideas  of  the 
<lanj];er  of  our  enterprize,  which  augment  as  the  time  of  our  dcpm-- 
ture  draws  near,  and  have  not  hesitated  to  express  their  dislike  to 
the  journey  in  strong;  terms  amongst  the  Canadians,  who  are  ac- 
customed to  pay  much  deference  to  the  opinions  of  an  interpreter. 
But  this  is  nDt  all ;  I  had  more  than  sufficient  reason  for  suspect- 
ing that  they  had  endeavoured  to  damp  the  exertions  of  the  In- 
dians, with  the  hope  that  the  w  ant  of  provision  in  the  spring  would 
put  an  end  to  our  progress  at  once.  St.  (icrmain,  in  particular, 
had  behaved  in  a  very  equivocal  way,  since  his  journey  to  Slave 
Lake.  He  denied  the  principal  parts  of  the  charge  in  a  very 
dogged  manner,  but  acknowledsed  that  he  had  told  the  leader  tha'i 
we  had  not  paid  him  the  attention  that  a  chief  like  him  ought  to 
liave  received  •  '  'hat  we  had  put  a  great  affront  on  him  in 
sending  him  or*  y  a  small  (juantity  of  rum.  An  artful  man  like 
St.  Germain,  possessing  as  he  did  such  a  flow  of  language,  and 
capable  of  saying  even  what  he  confessed  to,  had  the  means  0' 


^* 


^^' 


OF  THE  POLAR   SKA. 


2G5 


uoisonin<j;  the  minds  of  the  Itulimis  without  cominittinp;  himself  by 
anv  ilirocf  assertion  timt  he  could  comimniicale  ;  and  it  is  to  be 
remarked,  that  unless  Mr.  Wentzcl  had  possessetl  a  competent 
Icnowledf^e  of  the  Copper  Indian  language,  we  should  not  have 
learned  what  we  did. 

Althou*j;h  perfectly  satisfied  of  his  baseness,  I  could  not  dis- 
pense with  his  services;  and  I  had  no  other  resource  but  to  give 
!iim  a  serious  admonition,  and  desire  him  to  return  to  his  duty, 
after  endeavouring  to  work  upon  his  fears  by  an  assurance,  that  1! 
would  certainly  convey  him  to  P^ngland  for  trial,  if  the  Expedi- 
tion should  be  stopped  through  his  fault.  He  replied,  "  It  is 
immaterial  to  me  where  I  lose  my  life,  whether  iu  F<ngland,  or 
accompanying  you  to  the  sea,  for  the  whole  party  will  perish." 
After  this  discussion,  however,  he  was  moic  circumspect  in  his 
coiiJuct. 

On  the  28th  we  received  a  small  suj)ply  of  meat  from  the  In- 
dian lodges.  They  have  now  moved  into  a  lake,  about  twelve 
miles  distant  from  us,  in  expectation  of  the  deer  coming  soon  to 
the  northward.  '. 

On  the  29th  Akaitcbo  arrived  at  the  house,  having  been  sent 
for  to  make  some  arrangements  respecting  the  procuring  of  pro- 
vision, and  that  we  might  learn  from  him  what  his  sentiments 
were  with  regard  to  accompanying  us  on  our  future  journey. 
Next  morning  we  had  a  conference,  which  I  commenced  by 
shewing  him  the  charts  and  drawings  that  were  prepared  to  be 
sent  to  f^ngland,  and  explaining  fully  our  futun;  intentions.  He 
appeared  much  pleased  at  '.is  mark  of  attention,  and,  when  his 
curiosity  was  satisfied,  began  his  speech  by  saying,  that  "aithougli 
a  vast  number  of  idle  rumours  had  been  Hoating  about  the  barren 
grounds  during  the  winter,"  yet  he  was  convinced  that  the  repre- 
sentations that  had  been  made  to  him  at  Fort  Providence  ic^ard- 
iiiH  the  purport  of  the  Expedition  were  perfectly  correct.  1 
next  pointcil  out  to  him  the  necessity  of  our  proceeding  with  as 
little  delay  as  |)ossib!e  during  the  short  period  of  the  year  that  was 
fit  for  our  operations,  and  that  to  do  so  it  was  recpiisite  wc  should 
liave  a  large  supply  of  provisions  at  starting.  He  instantly  ad- 
mitted the  force  of  these  observations,  and  promised  that  he  anfl 

L  1 


466 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


■ft.  .'   »**!!, *^f'     , 


tRi 


, .  ii* 


pi:i:r 


''■■  ■  ■  H 


*!■ 


his  young;  men  should  do  their  utmost  to  comply  with  our  de. 
sires  ;  and  afterwards,  in  answer  to  my  questions,  informed  us  that 
he  would  accompany  the  Expedition  to  the  mouth  of  the  Copper- 
Mine  River,  or,  if  we  did  not  meet  with  Esquimaux  there,  for 
some  distance  alonsi;  the  coast,  he  was  anx'ous,  he  said,  to  have  an 
amicahle  interview  with  that  people ;  and  he  further  requested 
that,  in  the  event  of  our  meeting;  with  Doo;-ribs  on  the  Copper- 
Mine  River,  we  should  use  our  influence  to  persuade  them  to 
live  on  friendly  terms  with  his  tribe.  We  were  hig;hly  pleased 
to  find  his  sentiments  so  favourable  to  our  views,  and,  after  mak- 
ino;  some  minor  arrangements,  we  parted,  mutually  content  with 
each  other. 

Akaitcho  left  us  on  the  morniuja;  of  the  31st,  accompanied  by 
Augustus,  who,  at  his  request,  went  to  reside  for  a  few  days  at 
his  lodge. 

On  the  4th  of  April  our  men  arrived  with  the  last  supply  of 
goods  from  Fort  Providence,  the  fruits  of  Mr.  Back's  arduous 
journey  to  the  Athabasca  Lake;  and  on  the  17th  Belanger /e ^■ros 
and  Belanger  le  rouge,  for  so  our  men  discriminated  them,  set 
out  for  Slave  Lake,  with  a  box  containing  the  journals  of  the 
officers,  charts,  drawing,  observations,  and  letters  addressed  to 
the  Secretary  of  State  for  Colonial  Affairs.  They  also  conveyed 
a  letter  for  Governor  Williams,  in  which  I  requested  that  he 
would,  if  possil)le,  send  a  schooner  to  Wager  Bay  with  pro\  otis 
and  clothing,  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  party,  should  they 
succeed  in  reaching  that  part  of  the  coast. 

Connoyer,  who  was  much  tormented  with  biliary  calculi,  and 
had  done  little  or  no  duty  all  the  winter,  was  discharged  at  the 
same  time,  and  sent  down  in  company  with  an  Indian  named  the 
Belly.  -  :      ». 

The  commencement  of  April  was  fine,  and  for  several  days  a 
considerable  thaw  took  place  in  the  heat  of  the  sun,  which  lay- 
ing bare  some  of  the  lichens  on  the  sides  of  the  hills,  produced 
a  consequent  movement  of  the  rtin-deer  to  the  northward,  and 
induced  the  Indians  to  believe  that  the  spring  was  already  com- 
menceing.  Many  of  them,  therefore,  quitted  the  woods,  aiid  set 
their  snares  on  the  barren  grounds  r.ear  Fort  Enterprize.    Two 


i,l 


mOi 


% 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


»67 


or  three  days  of  cold  weather,  however,  towards  the  middle  of 
the  month,  damped  their  hopes,  and  they  began  to  say  ihat  ano- 
ther moon  must  elapse  before  the  arrival  of  the  vvished-for  season. 
In  thu  mean  time  their  permature  departure  from  the  woods, 
caused  them  to  suffer  from  the  want  of  food,  and  we  were  in 
some  degree  involved  in  their  distress.  We  received  no  sup- 
plies from  the  hunters,  our  nets  produced  but  very  few  fisli,  and 
the  pounded  meat  which  we  had  intended  to  keep  for  summer 
use  was  nearly  expended.  Our  meals  at  lliis  period  were  always 
scanty,  and  we  were  occasionally  restricted  to  one  in  the  day. 

The  Indian  families  about  the  house,  consisting  principally  of 
women  and  children,  suffered  most.  I  had  often  requested  them 
to  remove  to  Akaitcho's  lodge,  where  they  were  more  certain  of 
receiving  supplies  ;  but  as  most  of  them  were  sick  or  infirm,  tiiey 
did  not  like  to  quit  the  house,  where  they  daily  received  medi- 
cines from  Dr.  Richardson,  to  encounter  the  fatigue  of  following 
the  movements  of  a  hunting  camp.  They  cleared  away  the  snow  on 
the  site  of  the  autumn  encampments  to  look  for  bones,  cleers'  feet, 
bits  of  hide,  and  other  offal.  When  we  beheld  them  knawing  the 
pieces  of  hi",-*-,  and  pounding  the  bones,  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
tracting some  nourishment  from  them  by  boiling,  we  regretted 
our  inability  to  relieve  them,  but  little  thought  that  we  should  our- 
selves be  alterwards  driven  to  the  necessity  of  eagarly  collecting 
these  same  bones  a  second  time    fom  the  dunghill.  ' 

At  this  time,  lo  divert  the  atteniiun  of  the  nien  from  their  wants, 
we  encouraged  the  practice  of  sliding  down  the  steep  bank  of  the 
river  upon  sledges.  These  veliicles  descended  the  snowy  bank 
with  much  velocity,  and  ran  a  :ireat  distance  upon  the  ice.  The 
officers  joined  in  the  sport,  and  the  numerous  overturn;-  we  expe- 
rienced seemed  to  form  no  small  sl»;.re  of  the  amusement  of  'he 
party,  but  on  one  occasion,  when  1  had  \teen  throvv-n  from  niy 
seat  and  almost  buried  in  the  snow,  a  fat  Ituliati  woman  drove  her 
sledge  over  me,  and  >pi  :iined  my  knee  severely. 

On  the  18th  at  eiy:ht  in  the  evening  a  beautiful  ha!o  appeared 
round  the  sun  wheij  it    ^-'as  about  S°   high.     The  colours  were 
prismatic,  and  very  brij^lU,  the  red  next  the  sun. 
On  the  21st  the  ice  in  the  river  was  measured,  and  found  to  be 


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33  MIST  MAIN  STREET 

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268 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE   SHORES 


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five  feet  thick,  and  on  the  same  day  in  setting  the  nets  in  Round 
Rock  Lake,  the  ice  there  was  ascertained  to  be  six  feet  and  a  hall 
thick,  the  water  beinj;  six  fathoms  deep.  The  stomachs  of  some 
fish  were  at  this  time  opened  by  Dr.  Richardson,  and  found  filled 
tvitii  insects  which  appear  to  exist  in  abundance  under  the  ice 
durinu;  the  winter. 

On  the  22(1  a  moosc-dccr  was  killed  at  the  distance  of  forty- 
five  miles,  and  St.  Germain  went  for  it  with  a  doa;  sledge,  and  re- 
turned with  unusual  exj)edition  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day. 
This  supply  was  soon  exhausted,  and  wo  passed  the  27th  without 
eating,  and  had  a  prospect  of  fasting  a  day  or  two  longer,  when 
old  Keskarrah  entered  with  the  unexpected  intelligence  of  his 
liaving  killed  a  deer.  It  was  divided  betwixt  our  own  family  and 
the  Indians,  and  dui'ing  the  night  a  seasonable  supply  arrived  from 
Akaitcho  Augustus  returned  with  the  men  who  brought  it,  much 
pleased  with  the  attention  he  had  received  from  the  Indians  dur- 
ing his  visit  to  Akailcho. 

Next  day  iVlr.  VVentzel  set  out  with  every  man  that  we  could 
spare  from  the  fort,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  meat  from  the  In- 
dians as  fast  as  it  could  be  procured  Dr.  Richardson  followed  them 
tuo  days  afterwards  to  collect  specimens  of  the  rocks  in  that  part 
of  the  cotmtry.  On  the  same  day  the  two  Belangers  arrived  from 
Fort  Providence,  having  been  only  five  days  on  the  march  from 
thence. 

The  highest  temperature  in  April  was  +  40°,  the  lowest  —  32\ 
the  mean  +  4.6°.  The  temperature  of  the  rapid,  examined  on  the 
30' h  by  Messrs.  Back  and  Hood,  was  32°  at  the  surface,  33°  al 
the  bottom. 

On  the  7th  of  May  Dr.  Richardson  returned  from  his  excur- 
sion. He  informed  me  that  the  rein-deer  were  again  advancing 
to  the  northward,  but  that  the  leader  had  been  joined  by  several 
families  of  old  peojde,  and  that  the  daily  consumption  of  provision 
at  the  Indian  tents  was  consequently  great  This  information  ex- 
cited some  painful  apprehensions  of  being  very  scantily  provided 
when  the  period  for  our  departure  should  arrive. 

The  weather  in  the  beginning  of  May  was  line  and  warm.  On 
the  2d  some  patches  of  sandy  ground  near  the  house  were  clcir- 


« 


w 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


269 


ed  of  snow.  On  the  7th  the  sides  of  the  hills  bcs;an  to  appear 
bare,  and  on  the  8th  a  larsjo  house-fly  was  seen.  This  interesting 
event  spread  cheerfulness  ihroii<ih  our  residence  and  formed  a  to- 
pic of  conversation  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 

On  the  9th  the  approach  of  sprinc;  was  si  ill  more  ajrrecably  con- 
firmed by  the  appearance  of  a  mer<;;anser  and  two  jrulls,  atui  some 
loons,  or  arctic  divers,  at  the  rapid.  Thi:^  day,  to  reduce  the  la- 
bour of  flragginjj;  meat  to  the  house,  the  women  and  children  and 
all  the  men  except  four,  were  sent  to  live  at  the  Indian  tents. 

The  blue-berries,  crow-berries,  eye-berries,  and  cran-bcrries, 
which  had  been  covered,  and  protected  by  the  snow  during  the 
wmlcr,  might  at  this  time  be  gathered  in  abundance,  and  proved 
indeed  a  valuable  resource.  The  ground  fontinued  frozen,  but  the 
heat  of  the  sun  had  a  visible  eflect  on  the  vegetation  ;  the  sap 
tliawed  in  the  pine-trees,  and  Dr.  Richardson  informed  me  that 
the  mosses  were  beginning  to  shoot,  and  that  the  calyptra;  of  some 
of  the  jungermanniae  were  already  visible. 

On  the  11th  Mr.  Wentzel  returned  from  the  Indian  lodges, 
having  made  the  necessary  arrangements  with  Akaitcho  for  the 
drying  of  meat  for  summer  use,  the  bringing  of  fresh  meat  to  the 
fort,  and  the  procuring  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  resin  of  the 
spruce-fir,  or  as  it  is  termed  by  tho  voyagers  s^uin,  for  repairing 
the  canoes  previous  to  starting,  and  during  the  voyage.  By  my 
desire  he  had  promised  payment  to  the  Indian  women  who  should 
bring  in  any  of  the  latter  article,  and  had  sent  several  of  oiu*  own  men 
to  the  woods  to  search  for  it.  At  this  time  1  communicated  to 
Mr,  Wentzel  the  mode  in  which  I  meant  to  conduct  the  journey 
of  the  approaching  summer.  Upon  our  arrival  at  the  sea,  I  pro- 
posed to  reduce  the  party  to  what  would  be  sufficient  to  man  two 
canoes,  in  order  to  lessen  the  consumption  of  provisions  during 
our  voyage,  or  journey  along  the  coast;  and  as  Mr  Wentzel  had 
expressed  a  desire  of  proceeding  no  fiulher  than  the  mouth  of 
the  Copper-Ivline  River,  which  was  seconded  by  the  Indians,  who 
wished  him  to  return  with  them,  I  readily  relieved  his  anxiety  on 
this  subject ;  the  more  so  as  I  thought  he  might  render  greater 
service  to  us  by  making  deposits  of  provision  at  certain  points, 
than  by  accompanying  us,  through  a  country  which  was  unknown 


'i  *^:  c^- 


270 


A    JOURNEY  to  THE  SHORES 


i 


i,hW^  If 


■^•1 


.ijl;.'!;,.   .)  I 


li'lil 


|.^ 


U: 


I  f  ■ 


f!-*l  f'H  '^'^t^i 


to  him,  and  amonjijst  a  people  with  whom  he  was  totally  unac 
quainted.  My  intentions  were  explained  to  him  in  detail,  but 
they  were  of  course  to  be  modified  by  the  circumstances  that 
mi«;iit  occur. 

On  the  14th  a  robin  appeared  ;  this  bird  is  considered  by  the 
natives  as  the  infallible  precursor  of  warm  weather.  Ducks  and 
geese  were  also  seen  in  numbers,  and  the  rein-deer  advanced  to 
the  northward.  The  merganser,  which  preys  upon  small  fish,  was 
the  first  of  the  duck  tribe  that  appeared ;  next  came  the  teal,  {anas 
crecca,)  which  lives  upon  small  insects  that  abound  in  the  waters 
at  this  season ;  and  lastly  the  ejoose,  which  feeds  upon  berries  and 
herb;»a;e.  Geese  appear  at  Cumberland  HoMse,  in  latitude  5t°, 
usually  about  the  12th  of  April ;  at  Fort  Cliipewyan,  in  latitude 
59°,  on  the  25th  of  April ;  at  Slave  Lake,  in  latitude  61",  on  the 
1st  of  May  ;  and  at  Fort  Enterprize,  in  latitude  64*  28',  on  the 
12th  or  14th  of  the  same  month. 

On  the  16th  a  minor  chief  amongst  the  Copper  Indians,  attend- 
ed by  his  son,  arrived  from  Fort  Providence  to  consult  Dr. 
Richardson.  He  was  affected  with  snow-blindness,  which  soon 
yielded  to  the  droppinji:  of  a  little  laudanum  into  his  eyes  twice  a 
day.  Most  of  our  own  men  have  been  affected  with  the  same 
complaint  of  late,  but  it  has  always  yielded  in  twenty  or  thirty 
hours  to  the  same  remedy. 

On  the  21st  all  our  iv.on  returned  from  the  Indians,  and  Akait- 
cho  was  on  his  way  to  the  fort.  In  the  afternoon  two  of  his  young 
men  arrived  to  announce  his  visit,  and  to  request  that  he  might 
be  jcceived  with  a  salute  and  other  marks  of  respect  that  he  had 
been  accustomed  to  on  visiting  Fort  Providence  in  the  spring.  I 
complied  with  his  desire  although  I  regretted  the  expenditure  of 
anuTiimition.  and  sent  the  young  men  away  with  the  customary 
present  of  powder  to  enable  him  to  return  the  salute,  some  tobac- 
co, vermilion  to  paint  tiieir  faces,  a  comb,  and  a  looking-glass. 

At  eleven  Akaitoho  arrived;  upon  the  first  notice  of  his  ap- 
pearance the  flng  wus  hoisted  at  the  fort,  and  upon  his  nearer  ap- 
proach, a  number  of  inusquets  were  fired  by  a  party  of  our  people, 
and  returned  by  his  young  men.     Akaitcho,  preceded  by  hi< 


% 


'■^ 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


271 


ijtanclard-bearer,  led  the  parly,  anil  advanced  with  a  slow  and 
solemn  step  to  the  door  where  Mr.  VVentzel  and  I  received  him. 
The  faces  of  the  party  were  dauhed  with  vermilion,  the  old  men 
havino;  a  spot  on  ihe  rio;ht  cheek,  the  young;  ones  on  the  left. 
Akaitcho  himself  was  not  painted.  On  entering;  he  sat  down  on 
I  chest,  the  rest  placed  themselves  in  a  circle  on  the  floor.  The 
pipe  was  passed  once  or  twice  round,  and  in  the  meun^time  a 
bowl  of  spirits  and  water,  and  a  present  considerable  for  our  cir- 
cumstances )f  cloth,  blankets,  capots,  shirts,  &c.,  was  placed  on 
•he  floor  for  the  chief's  acceptance,  and  distribution  amongst  his 
people.  Akaitcho  then  commenced  his  speech,  but  I  re2;ret  to  say, 
that  it  was  very  discouraging,  and  indicated  that  he  had  parted 
ffith  his  good  humour,  at  least  since  his  Maich  visit.  He  first 
inquired,  whether  in  the  event  of  a  passage  by  sea  being  disco- 
vered, we  should  come  to  his  lands  in  any  ship  that  might  be 
sent?  And  being  answered,  that  it  was  probable  but  not  quite 
certain,  that  some  one  amongst  us  might  come  ;  he  expressed  a 
hope  that  some  suitable  present  shouM  be  forwarded  to  himself 
and  nation  ;  "  for,"  said  he,  "  the  great  Chief  who  commands 
where  all  the  goods  come  from,  must  see  from  the  drawings  and 
descriptions  of  us  and  our  country  that  we  are  a  miserable  people." 
1  told  him  that  he  should  assuredly  be  remembered,  provided  he 
faithfully  fulfilled  his  engagement  with  us. 

He  next  complained  of  the  non-payment  of  my  notes  by  Mr. 
Weeks,  from  whence  he  apprehended  that  his  own  reward  would 
be  withheld.  *•  If,"  said  he,  "your  notes  to  such  a  trifling  amount 
are  not  accepted,  whilst  you  are  within  such  a  short  distance,  and 
can  hold  communication  with  the  fort,  it  is  not  probable  that  the 
large  reward  which  has  heen  promised  to  myself  and  party,  will 
be  paid  when  you  are  far  distant,  on  your  way  to  your  own  coun- 
try. It  really  appears  to  me,"  he  continued,  "  as  if  both  of  the 
Campanies  consider  your  party  as  a  third  company,  hostile  to  their 
interests,  and  that  neither  of  them  will  pay  the  notes  you  give  to 
the  Indians." 

Afterwards,  in  the  course  of  a  long  conference,  he  enumerated 
many  other  grounds  of  dissatisfaction ;  the  principal  of  which 
wore  our  want  of  attention  to  him  ag  chief,  the  weakness  of  the 

« 


1^ 

phvi}  . 

f 

a-  i 


-t  ■  m. 


ik 


•  ■■ 


1*  / 


ii 


272 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


-'lit' 


% 


rum  formcily  sent  to  him,  the  smallness  of  the  present  nowofl'tr- 
ed  to  him,  and  the  want  of  the  fhiefs  clothing,  which  he  had 
been  accustonicd  to   rticiMvc  at  Fort    Providence   every  spring 
He  conchuied,  by  rciusinj^  to  receive  the  goods  now  offered  to 
him. 

In  reply  to  these  complaints  it  was  stated,  that  Mr.  Weeks's 
conduct  coidd  not  be  properly  discussed  at  the  distance  we  were 
from  his  fort  ;  that  no  dej)endancc  ongjit  to  bep'icedonthe  va"-ue 
reports  that  floated  through  the   Indian  territory  ;  that,  for  our 
part,  although  we  liad  heard  many  stories  to  his  (Akaitcho's)  dig. 
advantage,  wc  discredited  them  all ;  that  the  rum  we  had  sent  him 
being  what  the  great  men  in  lOngland  were  accustomed  to  drink 
wab  of  a  milder  kind,  but,  in  fact,  stronger  than  what  he  had  been 
accuston)ed  to  roceive  ;  and  that  the  distance  vve  had  come,  and  the 
speed  with  which  we  travelled,  precluded  us  from  bringing  lar-re 
quantities  of  goods  like  the  traders;  that  this  had  been  fully  ex- 
plained to  him  when  he  agreed  to  accompany  us;  and  that,  in  con- 
sideration of  his  not  receiving  his  usual  spring  outfit,  his  debts  to 
the  Company  had  been  cancelled,  and  a  present,  much  greater  than 
any  he  had  ever  received  before,  ordered  to  be  got  ready  for  his 
return.  He  was  further  informed,  that  we  were  much  disappoint- 
ed in  not  receiving  any  dried  meat  from  him,  an  article  indispen- 
sable for  our  summer  voyage,  end  which,  he  had  led  us  to  believe 
there  was  no  difficulty  in  procuring ;  and  that,  in  fact,  his  com- 
plaints were  so  groundless,  ia  comparison  with  the  real  injury  we 
sustained  from  the  want  of  supplies,  that  we  were  led  to  believe 
they  were  preferred  solely  for  the  purpose  of  cloaking  his  own 
want  of  attention  to  the  terms  of  his  engagement.     He  then  shift- 
ed his  ground,  and  stated,  that  if  we  attempted  to  make  a  voyage 
along  the  sea  coast  we  would  inevitably  perish  ;and  he  advised  us 
strongly  against  persisting  in  the  attempt.     This  part  of  his  ha- 
''ifangue  being  an  exact  transcript  of  the  sentiments  formerly  ex- 
])ressed  by  our  interpreters,  induced  us  to  conclude  that  they  bad 
prompted  his  present  line  of  conduct,  by  telling  him,  that  we  bad 
goods  or  rum  concealed.   He  afterwards  received  a  jiortion  of  our 
tlinner,  in  the  manner  he  had  been  accusio'ncd  to  do,  and  seemed 
inclined  to  make  up  matters  with  us  in  the  course  of  the  evening, 


*■ 


OF  THE  POLAR   SEA. 


27  :> 


provided  we  added  to  the  present  offered  hiiia.  Beina;  told,  how- 
ever, that  this  was  impossible,  since  we  had  already  offered  him 
all  the  mm  we  had,  and  every  article  of  j^oods  we  could  spare 
from  our  own  equipment,  his  obstinacy  was  a  little  shaken,  and 
he  made  some  concessions,  but  fleferred  f^iving  a  final  answer, 
until  the  arrival  of  Humpy,  his  elder  brother.  The  younii;  men, 
however,  did  not  choose  to  wait  so  lonjr,  and  at  nicjht  came  for 
the  rum,  which  we  judged  to  be  a  considerable  step  towards  a 
reconciliation. 

St.  Gertnain,  the  most  intelligent  of  our  two  interpreters,  and 
ihe  one  who  had  most  influence  with  the  Indians,  being  informed 
that  their  defection  was,  in  a  great  measure,  attributed  to  the  un- 
ffuarded  conversations  he  had  held  with  them,  and  which  he  had 
in  part  acknowledged,  exerted  himself  much,  on  the  following  day, 
in  bringing  about  a  change  in  their  sentiments,  and  with  some  suc- 
cess. The  young  men,  though  they  declined  hunting,  conducted 
themselves  with  the  same  good  humour  and  freedom  as  formerly. 
Akaitcho  being,  as  he  said,  ashamed  to  shew  himself,  kept  close 
in  his  tent  all  day. 

On  the  24th,  one  of  the  women,  who  accompanied  us  from 
Athabasca,  was  sent  down  to  Fort  Providence,  under  charge  of 
the  old  chief,  who  came  some  days  ago  for  medicine  for  his  eyes. 
An^elique  and  Roulante,  the  other  two  wonien,  having  families, 
preferred  accompanying  the  Indians,  during  their  summer  hunt. 
On  the  25th,  clothing,  and  other  necessary  articles,  were  issued 
to  the  Canadians,  as  their  equipment  for  the  ensuing  voy.ige. 
Two  or  three  blankets,  some  cloih,  iron  work,  and  trinkets,  were 
reserved  for  distribution  amongst  the  Esquimaux  on  the  sea- 
coast.  Laced  dresses  were  given  to  Augustus  and  Junius.  It  is 
impossible  to  describe  the  joy  that  took  possession  of  the  latter  on 
the  receipt  of  this  present.  The  happy  little  fellow  burst  into 
ecstatic  laughter,  as  he  surveyed  the  different  articles  of  his  gay  ^^ 
habiliments. 

In  the  afternoon  Humpy,  the  leader's  elder  brother ;  Annoethai- 
yazzeh,  another  of  his  brothers  ;  and  one  of  our  guides,  arrived 
with  the  remainder  of  Akaitcho's  band  ;  as  also  Long-legs,  brother 
to  the  Hook,  with  three  of  his  band.     There  were  now  in  the  en- 

M  m 


4# 


K'"t  ih 


'M 


s 


«74 


A    .lOUIlNFY     TO    THE    SHORKS 


V'Ji 


't  rill-4 


»f   S| 


oampmcnt,  thirty  hunters,  thirty-one  women,  and  sixty  childroiu 
in  all  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  Indians  of  the  Copper-Indian 
or  Red-Knife  tribe.  The  rest  of  the  nation  were  with  the  Hook 
on  the  lower  part  of  the  Copper-Mine  Hiver. 

Anno^thai-yazzeh  is  rcmarkahle  ainono;st  the  Indians  for  the 
number  of  his  descendants  ;  he  has  eio;hteen  children  living,  by 
two  wives,  of  whom  sixteen  were  at  the  fort  at  this  time. 

In  the  evening  we  had  another  formidable  conference.  The 
former  complaints  Avere  reiterated,  and  we  parted  about  midnifjlit, 
without  any  satisfactory  answer  being  given  to  my  questions,  as 
to  when  Akaitcho  would  proceed  towards  the  river,  and  where 
he  meant  to  make  provision  for  our  march.  I  was  somewhat 
pleased,  however,  to  find  that  Humpy  and  Annoeiiiai-yazzeh  cen- 
sured their  brother's  conduct,  and  accused  him  of  avarice. 

On  the  26th  the  canoes  were  removed  from  the  places  where 
they  had  been  deposited,  as  we  judged  that  the  heat  of  the  atnio 
spheie  was  now  so  great,  as  to  admit  of  their  being  repaired  with- 
out risk  of  cracking  the  bark.  We  were  rejoiced  to  find  that  two 
of  them  had  sutl'ered  little  injury  from  the  frost  during  the  winter. 
The  bark  of  the  third  one  was  considerably  rent,  but  it  was  slili 
capable  of  being  repaired. 

The  Indians  sat  in  conference  in  their  tents  all  the  morning; 
and,  in  the  afternoon,  came  into  the  house,  charged  with  fresh 
matter  for  discussion. 

Soon  after  they  had  seated  themselves,  and  the  room  was  filled 
with  the  customary  volume  of  smoke  from  their  calumets,  ihc 
goods  which  had  been  laid  aside  were  again  presented  to  the 
leader;  but  he  at  once  refiised  to  distribute  so  small  a  quantity 
amongst  his  men,  and  complained  that  there  were  neither  blaidvcts. 
kettles,  nor  daggers,  amongst  them ;  and,  in  the  warmth  of  his 
anger,  he  charged  Mr.  Wentzel  with  having  advised  the  distrihu- 
tion  of  all  our  goods  to  the  Canadians,  and  thus  defrauding  the 
Indians  of  what  was  intended  for  them.  Mr.  VVentzel,  of  course, 
immediately  rcjjcllcd  this  injurious  accusation,  and  reminiled 
Akaitcho  again,  that  he  had  been  told,  on  engaging  to  accompany 
us,  that  he  was  not  to  exj)ect  any  goods  until  his  return.  'J'hi;; 
he  denied  with  an  cUVontery  that  siirprised  us  all,  when  Huinpy 


#i- 


OF  THE  I'OLAR  SEA. 


iJTi 


who  was  present  at  our  lirsl  interview  at  For*.  Providence,  Uc- 
claa'd  that  ho  heard  us  say,  that  no  goods  coidd  he  taken  for  the 
supply  of  the  Indians  on  the  voyat^e  ;  and  tlie  lirsl  ^uidt;  added, 
"  1  do  not  expect  any  thini;  here,  I  have  proruiseil  to  accon^pany 
the  white  people  to  the  sea,  and  1  will,  theiel'ore,  go,  conlidently 
relying  upon  receiving  the  stipulated  reward  on  my  return." 
Akaitcho  did  not  seem  prepared  to  hear  such  declarations  iVom 
his  brothers,  and  instantly  changed  the  subject,  and  began  to 
descant  upon  the  treatment  he  had  received  from  the  Uaders  in 
his  concerns  with  the'm,  with  an  asperity  of  language  that  bore 
more  the  appearance  of  menace  than  complaint.  I  inmiediately 
refused  to  discuss  this  topic,  as  foreign  to  our  present  business, 
and  desired  Akaitcho  to  recall  to  his  memory,  that  he  had  told 
me  on  our  first  meeting,  that  he  considered  me  the  father  of 
every  person  attached  to  the  Expedition,  in  which  character  it 
was  surely  my  duty  to  provide  for  the  comfort  and  safety  of 
the  Canadians,  as  well  as  of  the  Indians.  The  voyagers,  he 
knew,  had  a  long  journey  to  perform,  and  would,  m  all  proba- 
bility, be  exposed  to  much  suBbring  from  cold,  on  a  coast  des- 
titute of  wood;  and,  therefore,  required  a  greater  provision  of 
clothing  than  was  necessary  for  the  Indians,  who,  by  returning 
immediately  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  would  reach  Fort  Pro- 
vidence in  August,  and  obtain  their  promised  rewards.  Most  of 
the  Indians  appeared  to  assent  to  this  argument,  but  Akaitcho 
said,  "  I  perceive  the  traders  have  deceived  you,  you  should  have 
brought  more  goods,  but  I  do  not  blame  you."  I  then  told  him, 
that  [  had  brought  from  England  only  ammunition,  tobacco,  and 
spirits;  and  that,  being  ignorant  what  other  articles  the  Indians 
required,  we  were  dependent  on  the  traders  for  supplies;  but  he 
must  be  aware,  that  every  endeavour  had  been  used  on  our  parts 
to  procure  them,  as  was  evinced  by  Mr.  Back's  journey  to  Fort 
( liipevvyan.  With  respect  to  the  ammunition  and  tobacco,  we 
had  been  as  much  disappointed  as  themselves  in  not  receiving 
them,  but  this  was  to  be  attributed  to  the  neglect  of  those  to  whom 
they  had  been  intrusted.  This  explanation  soemeil  to  satisfy  him. 
After  some  minutes  of  reflection,  his  coimtenance  became  more 
cheerful,  and  he  made  inquiry,  whether  his  party  might  go  to 


»i 


m 


276 


A  JOURNF.V  TO  THE   SHORES 


hH''\ 


i.*.'i 


either  of  fhe  traHine;  posts  they  chose  on  their  retuni,  and  whether 
the  lliirlson's  Bay  Company  were  rich,  for  they  haii  been  repre- 
sented to  him  as  a  poor  people?  1  answered  him,  that  we  really 
knevv  nothin*;  about  the  wealth  of  eitlser  Company,  havinjj;  never 
concerned  ourselves  with  trade,  but  that  all  the  traders  appeared 
to  us  to  be  respectable.  Our  thous;bts,  I  added,  are  fixed  solely 
on  the  accomplishment  of  the  objects  for  which  we  came  to  the 
country.  Our  success  depends  much  on  your  furnishing  us  with 
provision  speedily,  that  we  may  have  all  the  summer  to  work  in- 
and  if  we  succeed,  a  ship  will  soon  brinjj;  fjoods  in  abundance  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Copper-Mine  River.  The  Indians  talked  toge- 
ther for  a  short  time  alter  this  conversation,  and  then  the  leader 
made  an  application  for  two  or  three  kettles  and  soirie  blankets 
to  be  adiled  to  the  present  to  his  young;  men  ;  we  were  unable  to 
spare  him  any  kettles,  but  the  officers  promised  to  give  a  blanket 
each  from  their  own  beds. 

Dinner  was  now  brought  in,  and  relieved  us  for  a  time  from 
their  importimity.  The  leading  men,  as  usual,  received  each  a 
^  portion  from  the  table.  When  the  conversation  was  resumed,  the 
leader  renewed  his  solicitations  for  goods,  but  it  was  now  too  pal- 
pable to  be  mistaken,  that  he  aimed  at  getting  every  thing  he  pos- 
sibly could,  and  leaving  us  without  the  means  of  making  any  pre- 
sents to  the  Esquimaux,  or  other  Indians  we  might  meet.  1  re- 
solved, therefore,  on  steadily  refusing  every  request  that  he 
should  make  at  this  time,  and  when  he  perceived  that  he  could 
extort  nothing  more,  he  rose  in  an  angry  manner,  and  addressing 
his  young  men,  said  :  "  There  are  too  few  goods  for  me  to  dis- 
tribute ;  those  that  mean  to  follow  the  white  people  tb  the  sea 
may  take  them." 

This  was  an  incautious  speech,  as  it  rendered  it  necessary  for 
his  party  to  display  their  sentiments.  The  guides,  and  most  ot" 
the  hunters,  declared  their  readiness  to  go,  and  came  forward 
to  receive  a  portion  of  the  present,  which  was  no  inconsiderable 
assortment.  This  relieved  a  weight  of  anxiety  from  my  mind, 
and  I  did  not  much  regard  the  leader,  retiring  in  a  very  dissatis- 
fied mood. 

The  himters  then  applied  to  Mr.  Wentzel  for  ammunition,  that 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


211 


they  miffbt  go  a  hunting  in  the  mornin«;,  and  it  was  cheerfully 


giv 


eii  to  them. 


The  olhrxTs  and  men  amused  themselves  at  piison-hais,  anvl 
other  Canadian  t^anies  till  two  o'rlock  in  the  nioiMiina;,  an<l  wc 
were  pleased  to  ohserve  the  Indians  sitlinj^  in  t!;roii))s  enjoyujg 
the  sport.  We  were  desirous  of  fillina;  up  ihe  leisure  moments 
ofthe  Canadians  with  amusements,  not  only  for  the  pmpose  of 
enlivening  their  spirits,  hut  also  to  prevent  them  from  conversing 
upon  our  diflerences  with  the  Indians,  which  they  must  hav<;  oh- 
served.  The  exercise  was  also  in  a  peculiar  manner  serviceable  to 
Mr.  Hood.  P^ver  ardent  in  his  pursuits,  he  had,  through  close 
attention  to  his  drawings  and  other  avocations,  confined  himself 
too  much  to  the  house  in  winter,  and  his  health  was  impaired  by 
hij sedentary  habits.  1  could  only  take  the  part  of  a  spectator  in 
these  amusements,  being  still  lame  fron*  the  hurt  formerly  allud- 
ed to. 

The  sun  now  sinks  for  so  short  a  time  below  the  horizon,  that 
there  is  more  light  at  midnight,  than  we  enjoyed  on  some  days  at 
noon  in  the  winter-time.  ♦ 

On  the  27th  the  hunters  brought  in  two  rein-deer.  Many  of  the 
Indians  attended  divine  service  this  day,  and  were  attentive  spec- 
tators of  our  addresses  to  the  throne  of  the  Almighty. 

On  the  iiSth  1  had  a  conversation  with  Long-legs,  whose  arri- 
val two  days  ago  has  been  mentioned.  1  acquainted  him  with 
the  objects  of  our  expedition,  and  our  desire  of  promoting  peace 
between  his  nation  and  the  Esquimaux,  and  learned  from  him, 
that  his  brother  the  Hook  was  by  this  time  on  the  Copper-Mine 
River  with  his  party;  and  h  i.  although  he  had  little  ammuni- 
tion, yet  it  was  |)Ossible  he  might  have  some  provision  collected 
helorc  our  arrival  at  his  tents.  I  then  decorated  him  with  a  medal 
similar  to  those  given  to  the  other  chiefs.  He  was  highly  pleased 
with  this  mark  of  our  regard,  and  promised  to  do  every  thing  for 
us  in  his  power.  Akaitcho  came  in  during  the  latter  part  of  our 
conversation,  with  a  very  cheerful  countenance.  Jealousy  of  the 
Hook,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  sentiments  of  the  young  men  being 
different  from  his  own,  with  respect  to  the  recent  discussions, 
had  combined  to  produce  this  change  in  his  conduct,  and  next 


m^^^ 


i 


I 

i 


21  a 


A    JOURNF.Y    TO    THE    SHORES 


r-  J:    (in.  jff<  m . '  t.  Hiij 


moniint?  lie  took  an  opportunity  of  teiliiij^  mc  that  I  must  noi 
think  the  worse  of  him  for  hiii  ini|)ortunitics.  It  was  thoir  ous 
lorn,  he  said,  to  do  so,  however  straiit>;e  it  mif^ht  appear  to  us,  aiul 
that  he,  as  the  leader  of  his  party,  liad  to  bei;  for  them  all ;  but 
as  he  saiv  that  we  had  not  deceived  him  by  concealinj;  any  of  om 
goods,  and  that  we  really  had  nothing  left,  he  should  ask  for  no 
more.  He  then  told  me  that  he  would  set  out  for  the  river  m 
soon  as  the  state  of  the  country  admitted  of  their  travellinjir.  The 
snow,  he  remarked,  was  still  too  deep  for  sledges  to  the  iiorlh 
ward,  and  the  moss  too  wet  to  make  lires.  He  was  seconded  in 
this  opinion  hy  Long-legs,  who  n  1  was  the  more  inclined  tu  be- 
lieve, from  knowing  that  he  was  anxious  to  rejoin  his  family  a^ 
soon  as  possible. 

Akaitcho  now  accepted  the  dress  he  had  formerly  refused,  and 
next  day  clothed  himself  in  another  new  suit,  which  he  had  re- 
ceived from  us  in  the  autimin.  Kver  since  his  arrival  at  tht 
fort,  he  had  dressed  meanly,  and  pleaded  poverty ;  but,  perceiv- 
ing that  nothing  more  could  be  gained  by  such  conduct,  he  thoua;lii 
proper  to  shew'  some  of  his  riches  to  the  strangers  who  were 
daily  arriving  at  the  fort.  In  the  afternoon,  however,  he  mack 
another,  though  a  covert  attack  upon  us.  He  informed  me  thai  two 
old  men  had  just  arrivecj  at  the  encampment  with  a  little  pounded 
meat,  which  they  wished  to  barter.  It  was  evident  his  intention 
was  merely  to  discover  whether  we  had  any  goods  remaininj;  or 
not.  I  told  him  that  we  had  nothing  at  present  to  give  for  meal, 
however  much  we  stood  in  need  of  it,  but  that  we  would  pay  for 
it  by  notes  on  the  North-West  Company,  in  any  kind  of  goods 
tliey  pleased.  After  much  artful  circumlocution,  and  repeated  as- 
surances of  the  necessities  of  the  men  who  owned  the  meat,  he 
introduced  them,  and  they  readily  agreed  to  give  us  the  provision 
on  our  own  terms. 

I  have  deemed  it  my  duty  to  give  the  preceding  details  of  the 
tedious  conversations  we  had  with  Akaitcho,  to  point  out  to  future 
travellers,  the  art  with  which  these  Indians  pursue  their  objects, 
their  avaricious  nature,  and  the  little  reliance  that  can  be  placed 
upon  them  when  their  interests  jar  with  their  promises.  In  tliese 
respects  they  agree  vvitii  other  tribes  of  northern  Indians  :  but,  a<^ 


OF    THE    POLAR    SF.A. 


•,»7ft 


;ias  been  alrcaily  mentioned,  tlieir  dispositions  arc  not  nucl,  and 
their  hearts  are  readily  moved  by  the  cry  of  distress. 

The  averaf?e  temperature  for  May  was  nearly  ii'i",  the  greatest 
heat  was  <)8%  the  lowest  S". 

We  had  constant  daylij^ht  at  tlie  end  of  the  month,  and  «;eese 
,ind  tUicks  were  abundant,  indeed  rather  too  niueh  so,  for  our  hun- 
ters were  apt  to  waste  upon  them  the  ammunition  that  was  2;iven 
to  them  for  killint;  deer.  Uncertain  as  to  the  lenc;tb  of  time  that 
our  ammunition  might  be  required  to  last,  wc  did  not  deem  a 
ffoosc  of  equal  value  with  the  charge  it  cost  to  procure  it. 

Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Hack  having  visited  the  country  to  the  • 
northward  of  the  Slave  Rock,  and  reported  that  they  liiOMgiit  wc 
iiiiilht  travel  over  it,  I  signified  my  intention  of  send-ng  the  first 
party  olFon  Monday  the  1th  of  June.  I  was  anxious  to  get  the 
Indians  to  move  on  before,  but  they  lingered  al)out  the  house, 
evidently  witli  the  intention  of  picking  up  such  articles  as  we 
nii*ht  deem  unnecessary  to  take.  When  Akuitcho  was  made  ac- 
quainted with  my  purpose  of  sending  away  a  party  of  men,  he 
came  to  inform  mo  that  he  would  ap|)oint  two  hunters  to  accom- 
pny  them,  and  at  the  same  time  requested  that  Dr.  Richardson. 
or  as  he  called  him,  the  Medicine  Chief,  might  be  sent  with  his 
own  band.  These  Indians  set  a  great  value  upon  medicine,  and 
made  many  demands  upon  Dr.  Richardson  on  the  prospect  of  his 
departuje.  He  had  to  make  up  little  packets,  of  the  difl'orcnt  arti- 
cles in  his  chest,  not  only  for  the  leader,  but  for  eacii  of  the  minor 
chiefs,  who  carefully  placed  them  in  their  medicine  bags,  noting 
in  their  memories  the  directions  he  gave  for  their  use.  The  readi- 
ness with  which  their  requests  for  medical  assistance  were  com- 
plied with,  was  considered  by  them  as  a  strong  mark  of  our  good 
intentions  towards  them  ;  and  the  leader  often  remarked,  that  they 
owed  much  to  our  kindness  in  that  respect ;  that  formerly  num 
bcrs  had  died  every  year,  but  that  not  a  life  had  been  lost  since 
our  arrival  amongst  them.  In  the  present  instance,  however,  the 
leader's  request  could  not  be  complied  with.  Dr.  Richardson  had 
volunteered  to  conduct  the  first  party  to  the  Copper-Mine  River, 
whilst  the  rest  of  the  officers  remained  with  me  to  the  last  mo- 
ment to  complete  our  astronomical  observations  at  the  house.  Ho. 


lU 


f  'Iff 

IhI  I 

f ''fvjltjl 

piB||  •-• 

i^m 

llfrf  ■; 

WB^^M 

Ki  w^  i'    ' 

wM 

H^ 

f«T  'j^  '^^^n^l 

^^v^^mS^k    ^. 

Iwl 

fm^  ! 

ij^nP 

r^K^   < 

9| 

|a|  / 

V 


280 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


^^i.^-,:-^. 


III'  M;it 

3i  M-     '» 


therefore,  informed  the  leader  that  he  would  remain  stationary  at 
Point  Irke  until  the  arrival  of  the  whole  party,  where  he  might 
be  easily  consulted  if  any  of  his  people  fell  sick,  as  it  was  in  the 
neip;hbourhood  of  their  himting  grounds. 

On  the  2d  the  stores  were  packed  up  in  proper  sized  bales  for 
the  journey.  1  had  intended  to  send  the  canoes  by  the  first  party* 
but  they  were  not  yet  repaired,  the  weather  not  being  sulficientiy 
warm  to  permit  the  men  to  work  constantly  at  them,  without  the 
hazard  of  breaking  the  bark.  This  day  one  of  the  new  tradino- 
guns  which  we  had  recently  received  from  Fort  Chipewyan,  burst 
in  the  hands  of  a  young  Indian  ;  fortunately,  however,  without 
doing  him  any  material  injury.  This  is  the  sixth  accident  of  the 
kind  which  has  occurred  to  us  since  our  departtire  from  Slave 
Lake.  Surely  this  deficiency  in  the  quality  of  the  guns,  which 
hazards  the  lives  of  so  many  poor  Indians,  requires  the  serious 
consideration  of  the  principals  of  the  trading  Compaiiies. 

On  the  4th,  at  three  in  the  morning,  the  party  under  the  charge 
of  Dr.  Richardson  started.  It  consisted  of  fifteen  voyagers,  three 
of  them  conducting  dog  sledges,  Baldhead  and  Basil,  two  Indian 
hunters  with  their  wives,  Akaiyazzeh  a  sick  Indian  and  his  wife, 
together  with  Angelique  and  Roulante ;  so  that  the  party  consist- 
ed of  twenty-three  exclusive  of  children. 

The  burdens  of  the  men  were  about  eighty  pounds  each,  ex- 
clusive of  their  personal  baggage  which  amounted  to  nearly  as 
much  more.  Most  of  them  dragge<l  their  loads  upon  sledges, 
but  a  few  preferred  carrying  them  on  their  backs.  They  set  off 
in  high  spirits.  <' 

After  breakfast  t'le  Indians  struck  their  tents,  and  the  women, 
the  boys,  and  the  old  men  who  had  to  drag  sledges,  took  tlieii  uv/m- 
ture.  It  was  three  P.M.,  however,  before  Akaitcho  and  the  liun- 
ters  left  us.  We  issued  thirty  balls  to  the  leader,  and  twenty  to 
each  of  the  hunters  and  guides,  with  a  proportionate  quantity  of 
powder,  and  gave  them  directions  to  make  all  the  provi>.u)n  they 
could  on  their  way  to  Point  Lake.  I  then  (1c:>ire(i  Mr.  Wcni/.el 
to  inform  Akaitcho  in  the  presence  of  the  other  Iiulians,  that  I 
wished  a  deposit  of  provision  to  he  m:v\>^  at  this  pl.ico  previo'is  to 
next  September,  as  a  resource  sliould  we  return  lliis  way.  He  and 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


£81 


e  women, 


the  guides  not  only  promised  to  see  this  done,  but  sHgs;ested  that 
it  would  be  more  secuie  if  placed  in  the  cellar,  or  in  iMr.  Went- 
zel's  room.  The  Do^-ribs,  they  said,  would  respect  any  thing 
that  was  in  the  house  as  knowinsi;  it  to  bclonj;  to  ihe  white  people. 
At  the  close  of  this  conversation  Akaitcho  exclaimed  with  a  smile, 
<'  I  see  now  that  you  have  really  no  g;oods  left,  (the  rooms  and 
stores  being  completely  stripped,)  and  therefore  I  shall  not  trouble 
you  any  more,  but  use  my  best  endeavours  to  prepaie  provision 
for  you,  and  I  think  if  the  animals  are  tolerably  numerous,  we  may 
get  plenty  before  you  can  embark  on  the  river." 

Whilst  the  Indians  were  packing  up  this  morning,  one  of  the 
women  absconded.  She  belongs  to  the  Dog-rib  tribe,  and  had  been 
taken  by  force  from  her  relations  by  her  present  husb.md,  v\ho  has 
treated  her  very  harshly.  The  fellow  was  in  niy  room  when  his 
moiher  announced  the  departure  of  his  wife,  and  received  the  in- 
telligence with  great  composure  as  well  as  the  seasonable  reproof 
of  Akaitcho.  "  You  are  rightly  served,"  said  the  chief  to  him, 
'•and  will  now  have  to  carry  all  your  things  yourself,  instead  of 
having  a  wife  to  drag  them."  One  hunter  remained  after  the  de- 
parture of  the  other  Indians. 

On  the  5th  the  Dog-rib  woman  presented  herself  on  a  hill  at 
Home  distance  from  the  house,  but  was  afraid  to  approach  us  until 
the  interpreter  went  and  told  her  that  neither  we  nor  the  Indian 
who  remained  with  us,  would  prevent  her  from  going  where  she 
pleased.  Upon  this  she  came  to  solicit  a  lire-steel  and  kettle.  She 
was  at  first  low-spirited,  iVom  the  non-ai  rival  ol  a  country  woaian, 
who  had  promised  to  elope  with  her.  but  hail  probably  been  too 
narrowly  watched.  The  Indian  hunter,  ho-vever,  having  given 
her  some  directions  as  to  the  most  pioper  mode  of  jouuug  her 
own  tribe,  she  became  more  composed,  and  ultimately  agree!  to 
adopt  his  advice  of  proceeding  at  once  to  Foil  Frovitieuce,  instead 
ol  wandering  about  the  country  all  summer  in  search  of  them,  at 
the  immiueut  hazard  of  being  starved. 

On  the  7th  the  wind  changing  to  the  southward,  dispersed  the 
clouds  which  had  obscured  the  sky  for  severautays,  and  produced 
a  change  of  temperature  under  which  the  suuw  rapidly  disappear- 
ed.   The  thermometer  rose  to  73",  many  Hies  came  forth,  mus- 

N  n 


un 


H 


V/  .'; 


M  i^P'i 


i    ,'■ 


t8t 


A    .TOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


it  '  1      '     '        t 


A  fit, 


•m  .( .■»  k  "'.      I 


Iff 


kt 


llff 
It  lit 


qnitoes  shewed  themselvt^s  for  fhe  first  time,  and  one  swallow 
made  its  appearance.  We  were  the  more  piratified  with  these  in- 
dications of  summer,  that  St.  Germain  was  ennhled  to  commence 
upon  the  repair  of  the  canoes,  and  hefore  night  had  completed  the 
two  which  had  received  the  least  injury.  Augustus  killed  two 
deer  to-day. 

On  the  10th  the  dip  of  the  magnetic  needle  heing  ohscrved, 
shewed  a  decrease  of  22'  44  ",  since  last  autumn.  The  repairs  of 
the  third  canoe  were  finished  this  evening. 

The  snow  was  now  confined  to  the  hascs  of  the  hills,  and  our 
In<Iian  hunter  told  us  the  season  was  early.  The  o[)erations  of 
nature,  however,  seemed  to  us,  very  tardy.  We  were  easier  to 
he  gone,  and  dreaded  the  lapse  of  summer,  hefore  the  Indians 
would  allow  it  had  begun. 

On  the  11th  the  geese  and  ducks  had  left  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Enterprize,  and  proceeded  to  the  northvard.  Some  young  ravens 
and  whiskey -Johns  made  there  appearance  at  this  time. 

On  the  12th,  Winter  River  was  nearly  cleared  of  ice,  aiul  on 
the  i;ith  the  men  returned,  having  left  Dr.  Richardson  on  the 
borilers  of  Point  Lake.  Dr.  Ricliardson  informed  me  by  letter 
that  the  snow  was  deeper  in  many  parts  near  his  encampment 
thiMi  it  had  iK-en  at  any  time  last  winter  near  Fort  P^iterprize, 
and  that  the  ice  on  Point  Lake  had  scarcely  hegtm  to  decay.  Al- 
though the  \oyagers  were  nuich  fatigued  on  their  ari'ival.  and 
had  eaten  nothing  for  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  they  were  very 
cheertul,  aufl  expressed  a  desire  to  start  with  the  ren)ainder,of  the 
stoies  next  morning.  The  Dog-rib  woman,  who  had  liniiered 
about  the  house  since  the  6th  of  June,  took  alarm  at  the  approncli 
of  men,  thinking,  perhaps,  that  they  were  accompanied  by  In- 
dians, and  ran  off  She  was  now  provided  with  a  hatchet,  !;ettle 
and  (ire-steel,  and  would  probably  go  at  once  to  Fort  Providence, 
in  the  expectation  of  meeting  with  some  of  her  countrymen,  be- 
fore the  end  of  summer. 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA, 


383 


# 


CHAPTER  X* 


Uftpartiire  from  Fort  Enterprize— Navigation  of  the  Copper-Mine  River- 
Visit  to  tilt  Copper  Mountain — Interview  with  t!ie  Esquimaux — Uoparlure 
of  the  Indian  Hunters — Arrangements  made  with  them  for  our  return. 

1821.         rjy 

June  14.      I  ME  trains  for  the  canoes  havin":;  been  finished  during 

the  ni,2;ht,  the  p;u'ty  attached  to  them  coimiienced  their  journey  at 
ten  this  morning.  Each  canoe  was  (h'uifged  by  foiu"  men  assisted 
by  two  dogs.  They  took  the  route  of  Winter  Lake,  with  the 
intention  of  following,  although  more  circuitous,  the  water-course 
as  tiir  as  practicable,  it  being  safer  for  the  canoes  than  travelling 
ever  land.  After  their  depirture,  the  remaining  stores,  the  instru- 
ments, and  our  small  stock  of  dried  meat,  amounting  only  to 
ciiihfy  pounds,  were  distributed  equally  among  Hepbiarn,  three 
Canadians,  and  the  two  E>quimaux  ;  with  this  party  and  two  In- 
dian hunters,  we  quitted  F'ort  Enterprize,  most  sincerely  rejoic- 
ina;  that  the  long- wished  for  day  hail  arrived,  when  we  were  to 
proceed  towards  the  final  object  of  the  Expedition. 

We  left  in  one  of  the  rooms  a  box,  containing  a  journal  of  the 
occurrences  up  to  this  date,  the  charts,  and  some  drawings  which 
was  to  be  conveyed  to  Fort  Chipewyan  by  Mr.  Wentzel,  on  his 
return  from  the  sea,  and  from  tlience  to  be  sent  to  England.  The 
room  was  blocked  up,  and,  by  the  advice  of  Mr.  Wentzel,  a  draw- 
'm%  representing  a  man  holding  a  dagger  in  a  tbrcatening  attitude, 
was  affixed  to  the  door,  to  deter  any  Indians  from  breaking  it 
open.     We  directed  our  course  towards  the  Dog-rib  Rock,  but  as 

*  It  will  ho  seen  hereafter  tliat  [  Iiad  the  misfortune  to  lose  my  portfoho 
comaiiiiiig  my  jinn-nals  fioiii  Fort  Enterprize  to  the  14lli  of  Septt  niber.  But 
tlif  loss  has  bien  amply  redeemtd  by  my  brotlier  officers'  journals,  front 
which  the  narrative  up  to  tliat  period  has  been  chiefly  compiled. 


5S4 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


fll'ff'il,  , 


m> 


our  companions  were  loaded  with  the  weij^ht  of  near  one  hundred 
and  eighty  pounds  weight  each,  wc  of  necessity  proceeded  at  a  slow 
pace.  The  day  was  extremely  warm,  and  the  musquitoes,  whose 
attacks  had  hitherto  heen  feeble,  issued  forth  in  swarms  from  the 
marshes,  and  were  very  tormenting.  Having  walked  five  miles 
we  encamped  near  a  small  cluster  of  pines  about  two  miles  from  the 
Dog-rib  Rock.  The  canoe  party  had  not  been  seen  since  they  set 
out.  Our  hunters  went  forward  to  Marten  Lake,  intending  to  wait 
for  us  at  a  place  where  two  deer  were  deposited.  At  nine  P.M. 
the  temperature  of  the  air  was  6;^". 

We  resumed  our  march  at  an  early  hour,  and  crossed  several 
lakes  which  lay  in  our  course,  as  the  ice  enabled  the  men  to  diaf 
their  burdens  on  trains  formed  of  sticks  and  decrs'  horns,  with 
more  ease  than  they  could  carry  them  on  their  backs.  We  were 
kej)t  constantly  wet  by  this  operation,  as  the  ice  had  broken  near 
the  shores  of  the  lakes,  but  ihis  inconvenience  was  not  re^^arded. 
as  the  day  was  unusually  warm  :  the  temperature  at  two  P,M, 
being  82 1°.  At  Marten  Lake  we  joined  the  canoe  party,  and 
encamped  with  them.  We  had  the  mortification  of  learning  from 
our  hunters  that  the  meat  they  had  put  en  cache  here,  had  been 
destroyed  by  the  wolverenes,  and  we  had  in  consequence,  to  fur- 
nish the  supper  from  our  scanty  stock  of  dried  meat.  The  wind 
changed  from  S.E  to  N.E.  in  the  evening,  and  the  weather  be- 
came very  cold,  the  thermometer  being  43*  at  nine  P.M.  The 
few  dwarf  birches  we  could  collect  afforded  fire  insufficient  to 
keep  us  warm,  and  we  retired  under  the  covering  of  our  blankets 
as  soon  as  the  supper  was  despatched.  The  ^p.E.  breeze  rendered 
the  night  so  extremely  cold,  that  we  procured  but  little  sleep, 
having  neither  fire  nor  shelter,  for  though  we  carried  our  tents, 
we  had  been  forced  to  leave  the  tent  poles  which  we  could  not 
now  replace;  we  therefore  gladly  recommenced  the  journey  at 
five  in  the  morning,  and  travelled  through  the  remaining  pari  of 
the  lake  on  the  ice.  Its  surface  being  quite  smooth,  the  canoes 
were  dragged  along  expeditiously  by  the  dogs,  and  the  rest  of  the 
party  had  to  walk  very  quick  to  keep  pace  with  them,  which  oc- 
casioned them  to  get  many  heavy  falls.  By  the  time  we  had 
reached  the  end  of  the  lake,  the  wind  had  increased  to  a  perfect 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


285 


iple,  an :!  the  atmosphere  was  so  cold  that  we  could  not  proceed 
with  the  canoes  further  without  the  risk  of  hreakina;  the  hark  and 
seriously  injuring  them,  we  therefore  crossed  Winter  River  in 
them,  and  put  up  on  a  ridjjje  of  sand  hills  in  a  well  sheltered  place, 
put  as  the  stock  of  provision  was  scanty,  we  determined  on  pro- 
ceeding as  quick  as  possible,  and  leaving;  the  canoe  party  under 
the  charge  of  Mr.  Wentzel.  We  parted  from  them  in  the  afternoon 
and  first  directed  our  course  towards  a  range  of  hills,  where  we  ex- 
pected to  find  Antonio  Fontano,  who  had  separated  from  us  in 
the  mornin^!^.  In  crossing  towards  these  hills  I  fell  through  the  ice 
into  the  lake,  with  my  bundle  on  my  shoulders,  but  was  soon 
extricated  without  receivitjg  any  injury  ;  and  Mr  Hack,  who  left 
ijs  to  go  in  search  of  the  straggler,  met  with  a  similar  accident  in 
the  evening.  W^e  put  up  on  a  ridge  of  sand  hills,  where  we  found 
some  pines,  and  made  a  large  fire  to  apprise  Mr.  Back  and  Fon- 
tano of  our  situation.  St.  Germain  having  killed  a  deer  in  tbe 
afternoon,  we  rciceived  an  acceptable  supply  of  meat.  The  night 
was  stormy  and  very  cold. 

At  five  next  morning  our  men  were  sent  in  difierent  directions 
after  our  absent  companions,  but  as  the  weather  was  foggy  we 
despaired  of  finding  them  unless  they  should  chance  to  hear  the 
muskets  our  people  were  desired  to  fire.  They  returned,  how- 
ever, at  ten,  brinj^^lng  intelligence  of  them.  I  went  immediately 
with  Heburn  to  join  Mr.  Back,  and  directed  Mv.  Hood  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  Canadians,  and  halt  with  them  at  a  spot  where  the 
hunters  had  kilh.'d  a  deer.  Thotigh  Mr.  Back  was  much  fatigued, 
he  set  ofi*  with  ime  immediately,  and  in  the  evening  we  rejoined 
our  friends  on  the  borders  of  the  Big  Lake.  The  Indians  inform- 
ed us  that  Fontano  only  remained  a  few  hours  with  them,  and 
then  cc"^*inued  his  journey.  We  had  to  oppose  a  violent  gale  and 
frequent  snow  storms  through  the  day,  which  unseasonable 
weather  caused  the  ten)perature  to  descend  below  the  freezing 
point  this  evening.  The  situation  of  our  encampment  being  bleak, 
and  our  fuel  stunted  green  willows,  we  passed  a  very  cold  and  un- 
comfortable night. 

June  18. — Though  the  breeze  was  moderate  this  morning,  the 
itmosphere  was  piercingly  k-jen.     When  on  the  point  of  starting, 


■M 


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A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


riuim 


*      4 


we  peireived  Mr.  Wentzel's  party  comino;,  and  awaited  his  arrj. 
val  to  learn  whether  the  canoes  had  received  any  injury  durinfr 
the  severe  weather  of  yesterday.  Findiua;  that  they  had  not  we 
proceeded  to  a;et  upon  the  ice  on  the  lake,  which  could  not  be 
effected  without  walking  up  to  the  waist  in  water,  for  some  dis- 
tance from  its  borders.  We  had  not  the  command  of  our  feet  in 
this  situation,  and  the  men  fell  often  ;  poor  Junius  broke  tlirotia;h 
the  ice  with  his  heavy  burden  on  his  back,  but  fortunately  was 
not  hurt. 

This  lake  is  extensive,  and  larfije  arms  branch  from  its  main 
course  in  different  directions.  At  these  parts  we  crossed  the  pro- 
jecting points  of  land,  and  on  each  occasion  had  to  wade  as  be- 
fore, which  so  wearied  every  one,  that  we  rejoiced  when  we 
reached  its  north  side  and  encamped,  thousj;h  our  rest  ins; -place 
was  a  bare  rock.  We  had  the  happiness  of  finding  Fontano  ai 
this  place.  The  poor  fellow  had  passed  the  three  precedini>;days 
without  tasting  food,  and  was  exhausted  by  anxiety  and  huno-er. 
His  sufferings  were  considered  to  have  been  a  sulfioient  punish- 
ment for  his  imprudent  conduct  in  separating  from  us,  and  wo 
only  admonished  him  to  be  more  cautious  in  future. 

Having  received  information  that  die  hunters  had  killed  a  deer, 
we  sent  three  men  to  fetch  the  nieat.  which  was  distributed  be- 
tween our  party,  and  the  canoe  men  who  had  been  encamped 
near  to  us.  The  thermometer  at  three  P.M.  was  46*,  and  at 
nine  34°. 

We  commenced  the  following  day  by  crossing  a  lake  about 
four  miles  in  length,  and  then  passed  over  a  succession  of  ruc;ged 
hills  for  nearly  the  same  distance.  The  men  being  anxious  to 
reach  some  pine-trees,  which  they  had  seen  on  their  former 
journey,  walked  •  quick  pace,  though  they  were  suffering  from 
swelled  legs  and  rheumatic  pains;  we  coukl  not,  however,  attain 
the  desired  point,  and  therefore  encamped  on  the  declivity  of  a 
hill,  which  sheltered  us  from  the  wind  ;  and  used  the  rein-deer 
moss  for  fuel,  whic'  afforded  us  more  warnjlh  than  we  expected. 
We  perceived  several  patches  of  snow  yet  remaining  on  the  sur- 
rounding hills.  The  thermometer  varied  to  day  between  55" 
and  45". 


OP    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


287 


On  the  20th  of  June  we  bpojan  our  march  bV  crossinjj  a  small 
lake,  not  without  much  risk,  as  the  surface  of  the  ice  was  covered 
with  water  to  the  depth  of  two  feet,  and  there  were  many  holes 
into  which  we  clipped,  in  spite  of  our  efforts  to  avoid  them.  A 
few  of  the  men  beinuj  fearful  of  attemptinij;  the  traverse  with  their 
heavy  loads,  walked  round  the  oasttMn  end  of  the  lake.  The  par- 
ties met  on  the  sandy  rid^re,  which  se|)arales  the  streams  that  fall 
into  Winter  Lake  fiom  ihose  that  flow  to  the  northward  ;  and 
here  we  kil'ed  three  deer.  Nciu-  tiic  base  of  this  rido;e  we  cross- 
ed a  small  but  rapid  stream,  in  wlucb  there  is  a  remarkable  cas- 
cade of  about  fifty  feet  descent.  Some  Indians  joined  us  here, 
and  save  us  information  respectini;  the  situation  of  Dr.  Richard- 
son's tent,  vvhich  our  hunters  considered  was  sufficient  for  our 
guidance,  and  therefore  proceeiled  as  quickly  as  they  could.  Wo 
marched  a  few  miles  farther  in  the  eveuina;,  and  encamped  among 
some  pines;  but  the  comfort  of  a  i!;o()d  rtre  did  not  comj)ensate 
for  the  torment  we  suffered  from  the  host  of  musquitoes  we  found 
at  this  spot.     The  temperatm-e  was  5^". 

We  set  off*  next  morninij;  at  a  very  early  hour.  The  men  took 
the  course  of  Point  Lake,  that  they  mi:i;ht  use  their  sled2;ps,  but 
the  officers  pursued  the  nearest  route  by  land  to  Dr.  Richardson's 
tent,  vvhich  we  reached  at  eleven  A.M.  It  was  situated  on  the 
western  side  of  an  arm  of  the  lake,  and  near  to  the  part  through 
which  the  Copper-Mine  River  runs.  Our  men  arrived  soon  after 
us,  and  in  the  evenins;  Mr.  Wentzel  and  his  party,  with  the  ca- 
noes in  excellent  condition.  They  were  much  jaded  by  their  fa- 
tiguina;  journey,  an<l  several  were  lame  from  swellina;s  of  the  lovver 
extremities.  The  ice  on  the  lake  was  still  six  or  seven  feet  thick, 
and  there  was  no  appearance  of  its  decay  except  near  the  edges; 
and  as  it  was  evident  that,  by  remaining'  here  intil  it  should  be 
removed,  we  might  lose  every  prospect  of  success  in  our  under- 
taking, I  determined  on  drairaiing  our  stores  along  its  surface,  un- 
til we  should  come  to  a  part  of  the  riv  t  where  we  could  embark; 
and  directions  were  given  this  evening  for  each  man  to  prepare  a 
train  for  the  conveyance  of  his  portion  of  the  stores.  I  may  re- 
mark here,  as  a  proof  of  the  strong  effect  of  radiation  Mom  the 
earth  in  melting  the  ic^^,  that  the  largest  holes  in  the  ice  were  al- 


.4 1 .(, . 


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A    JOURNKY    TO    THE    SHORES 


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ways  formed  at  the  base  of  the  high  and  steep  chffVi,  which  abound 
on  the  borders  of  this  lake. 

We  found  Akaitcho  and  the  hunters  encamped  here,  but  tlieir 
families,  and  the  rest  of  the  tribe,  had  gone  off  two  days  be'ore 
to  the  Beth-see-to,  a  large  lake  to  the  northward,  where  tbey  in- 
tended  passing  the  summer.  Long-legs  and  Keskarrah  bad  de- 
parted, to  desire  tiie  Hook  to  collect  as  much  meat  as  be  coidd 
against  our  arrival  at  bis  lodge.  We  were  extremely  distressed 
to  learn  from  Dr.  Richardson,  that  Akaitcho  and  bis  party  bad  ex- 
pended all  the  ammunition  tbey  bind  received  at  Fort  Enterprize, 
without  having  contributed  any  supply  of  provision.  Tbe  Doctor 
had,  however,  through  tbe  assistance  oi  two  biuiters  be  kept  with 
him,  prepared  two  hundred  pounds  of  dried  meat,  which  was  now 
our  sole  dependence  for  tbe  journey.  On  tbe  following  morning 
I  represented  to  Akaitcho  that  we  bad  been  greatly  disappointed 
by  his  conduct,  which  was  so  opposite  to  the  promise  of  exertion 
he  had  made,  on  quitting  Fort  Knterprize.  He  otfered  many 
excuses,  but  finding  tbey  were  not  satisfactory,  he  admitted  that 
the  greater  part  of  the  ammunition  bad  been  given  to  those  who 
accompanied  the  women  to  fbe  Beth  see-to,  and  promised  to  he- 
have  better  in  future.  I  then  told  him,  that  I  intended  in  future 
to  give  them  ammunition  only  in  proportion  to  the  meat  which 
was  brought  in,  and  that  we  shoubl  commence  upon  that  plan, 
by  supplying  him  with  fifteen  balls,  and  the  hunters  with  ten 
each. 

The  number  of  our  hunters  was  now  reduced  to  five,  as  two 
of  the  most  active  declined  going  any  further,  their  father,  who 
thought  himself  dying,  baving  solicited  them  to  remain  and  close 
his  eyes.  These  five  were  furnished  with  ammunition,  and  sent 
forward  to  hunt  on  the  south  border  of  the  lake,  with  directions 
to  place  any  meat  tbey  might  procure  near  to  the  edge  of  the  lake, 
and  set  up  marks  to  guide  us  to  the  spots.  Akaitcho,  his  brother, 
the  guide,  and  three  other  men,  remained  to  accompany  us.  We 
were  much  surprised  to  perceive  an  extraordinary  difference  in 
climate  in  so  short  an  advance  to  the  northward  as  fifty  miles. 
The  snow  here  was  lying  in  large  patches  on  the  hills.  The  dwarf- 
birch  and  willows  were  only  just  beginning  to  open  their  buds. 


1^ 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


«89 


which  had  burst  forth  at  Fort  Enterprize  many  days  previous  to 
our  departure.  Vegetation  seemed  to  be  three  weeks  or  a  month 
lator  here  than  at  that  place.  We  had  heavy  showers  of  rain 
through  the  night  of  the  22d,  which  melted  the  snow,  and  visibly 
wasted  the  ice. 

On  the  23d,  the  men  were  busily  employed  in  making  their 
trains,  and  in  pounding  the  meat  for  pemmican.  The  situation 
of  the  encampment  was  ascertained,  latitude  65°  12'  40"  N.,  lon- 
gitude 113°  8'  25"  W.,  and  the  variation  43' 4' 20"  PI  The 
arrangements  being  completed,  we  purposed  commencing  our 
journey  next  morning,  but  the  weather  was  too  stormy  to  admit 
of  our  venturing  upon  the  lake  with  the  canoes.  In  the  afternoon 
a  heavy  fall  of  snow  took  place,  which  was  succeeded  by  sleet  and 
rain.  The  north-east  gale  continued,  but  the  thermometer  rose 
to  39°. 

June  25. — ^The  wind  having  abated  in  the  night,  we  prepared 
for  starting  at  an  early  hour.  The  three  canoes  were  mounted  on 
sledges,  and  nine  men  were  appointed  to  conduct  ihem,  having 
the  assistance  of  two  dogs  to  each  canoe.  The  stores  and  pro- 
visions were  distributed  equally  among  the  rest  of  our  men,  ex- 
cept a  few  small  articles  which  the  Indians  carried.  The  pro- 
vision consisted  of  only  two  bags  of  pemmican,  two  of  pounded 
meat,  five  of  suet,  and  two  small  bundles  of  dried  provision,  to- 
gether with  fresh  meat  sufficient  for  our  supper  at  night.  It  was 
gratifying  to  witness  the  readiness  with  which  the  men  prepared 
for  and  commenced  the  journey,  which  promised  to  be  so  very 
laborious,  as  each  of  them  had  to  drag  upwards  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty  pounds  on  his  sledge. 

Our  course  led  down  the  main  channel  of  the  lake,  which  va- 
ried in  breadth  from  half  a  mile  to  three  miles ;  but  we  proceeded 
at  a  slow  pace,  as  the  snow  which  fell  last  night,  and  still  lay  on 
the  lake,  very  much  impeded  the  sledges.  Many  extensive 
arms  branched  off  on  the  north  side  of  this  channel,  and  it  was 
bounded  on  the  south  by  a  chain  of  lofty  islands.  The  hills  on 
both  sides  rose  to  the  height  of  six  hundred  or  seven  hundred 
feet,  anfl  high  steep  cliffs  are  numerous.  Clusters  of  pines  were 
occasionally  seen"  in  the  valleys.     We  put  up,  at  eij;ht  P.M.,  in  a 

On 


1 9 


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i\    JOURNLY    TO    TMIi    SHORES 


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I'm 

spot  whicli  aflbrded  us  but  a  few  t\via;9  for  fuel,  'i'lie  party  was 
much  futi'Jiucd,  and  several  of  the  men  were  atTectcd  by  an  iiiflam- 
jnation  on  the  inside  of  the  thigh,  attended  with  hardness  and 
swellinp;.     The  distance  made  to-day  was  six  miles. 

We  started  at  ten  next  morning.  The  day  was  extremely  hot, 
and  the  men  were  soon  jaded  ;  their  lameness  increased  very 
jnuch,  and  some  not  previously  affected  h(^ii^an  to  complain.  The 
dogs  too  shewed  symptoms  of  great  weakness,  and  one  of  them 
stretched  himself  obstinately  on  the  ice,  and  was  obliged  to  be 
released  from  the  harness.  Under  these  circumstances  we  were 
compelled  to  encamp  at  an  early  hour,  having  come  only  four 
miles.  The  sufferings  of  the  people  in  Ibis  early  stage  of  our 
journey  were  truly  discouraging  to  them,  and  very  distressing  to 
us,  whose  situation  was  comparatively  easy.  I,  therefore,  deter- 
mined on  leaving  the  third  canoe,  which  had  been  principally 
carried  to  provide  against  any  accident  hajipening  to  the  others. 
By  this  we  gained  three  men,  to  lighten  the  loads  of  those  who 
were  most  lame,  and  an  additional  dog  for  each  of  the  other  ca- 
noes. It  was  accordingly  properly  secured  on  a  stage  erected  for 
the  purpose  near  tlie  encampment.  Dried  meat  was  issued  for 
sup[>er,  but  in  the  course  of  the  evening  the  Indians  killed  two 
deer,  which  were  immediately  sent  for. 

The  channel  of  the  lake  through  which  we  had  passed  to-day 
was  bounded  on  both  sides  by  islands  of  considerable  height,  pre- 
senting bold  and  rugged  scenery.  We  were  informed  by  our 
guide,  that  a  large  hotly  of  the  lake  lies  to  the  northward  of  a 
long  island  which  we  passed. 

Another  deer  w  ts  killed  next  morning,  but  as  the  men  break- 
fasted off  it  before  they  started,  the  additional  weight  was  not  ma- 
terially felt.  The  burthens  of  the  men  being,  considerably  light- 
ened by  the  arrangements  of  last  evening,  the  party  walked  at  the 
rate  of  one  mile  and  three  quarters  an  hour  until  the  afternoon, 
when  our  pace  was  slackened,  as  the  surface  of  the  ice  was  more 
rough,  and  our  lame  companions  felt  their  sores  very  galling.  At 
noon  we  passed  a  deep  bay  on  the  south  side,  which  is  said  to 
receive  a  river.  Throughout  the  day's  march  the  hills  on  each 
side  of  the  lake  bore  a  strong  resemblance,  in  height  and  form,  to 


* 


■^^ 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA, 


W\ 


.  those  about  Fort  Entcrprize.  Wc  encamped  on  the  north  main 
shore,  among  some  spruce  trees,  havinsj  walketl  cii^ht  miles  and  a 
half.  Three  or  four  lisli  were  caught  with  lines  through  holes, 
which  the  water  had  worn  in  the  ice.  Wc  perceiveil  a  slight 
westerly  current  at  these  places. 

It  rained  heavily  during  the  night,  and  this  was  succeeded  hy 
a  dense  fog  on  the  morning  of  the  28th.  Being  short  of  |)rovi- 
sioiis  we  commenced  our  journey,  though  the  points  of  land  were 
not  discernible  beyond  a  short  distance.  The  surface  of  the  ice, 
being  honeycombed  by  the  recent  rains,  presented  innumerable 
bharp  points,  which  tore  our  shoes,  and  lacerated  the  feet  at  every 
step.     The  poor  dogs,  too,  marked  their  path  with  their  blood. 

In  the  evening  the  atmosphere  became  clear,  and,  at  five  P.M., 
we  reached  the  rapid  by  which  Point  Lake  communicates  with 
Red-Rock  Lake.  This  rapid  is  only  one  hundred  yards  wide, 
and  we  were  much  disappointed  at  finding  the  Copper-iVIine 
River  such  an  inconsiderable  stn^am.  The  canoes  descended  the 
rapid,  but  the  cargoes  were  carried  across  the  peninsula,  and 
placed  again  on  the  sledges,  as  the  next  lake  was  still  frozen.  VVc 
passed  an  extensive  arm,  branching  to  the  eastward,  and  encamp- 
ed just  below  it,  on  the  »vestern  bank,  among  spruce  pines,  hav- 
ing walked  six  miles  of  direct  distance.  The  rolled  stones  on  the 
beach  are  principally  red  clay  slate,  hence  its  Indian  appellation, 
which  we  have  retained. 

We  continued  our  journey  at  the  usual  hour  next  morning.  At 
noon  the  variation  was  observed  to  be  47^  east.  Our  attention 
was  afterwards  directed  to  some  pine  branches,  scattered  on  the 
ice,  which  proved  to  be  marks  placed  by  our  hunters,  to  guide  us 
to  the  spot  where  they  had  deposited  the  carcasses  of  two  small 
deer.  This  supply  was  very  seasonable,  and  the  men  cheerfully 
dragged  the  additional  weight.  Akaitcho,  judging  from  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  meat,  thought  it  had  been  placed  here  three  days 
ago,  and  that  the  hunters  were  considerably  in  advance.  We  put 
up,  at  six  P.M.,  near  the  end  of  the  lake,  having  come  twelve 
miles  and  three  quarters,  and  found  the  channel  open  by  which 
it  is  connected  with  the  Rock-nest  Lake.  A  river  was  pointed 
out,  bearing  south  from  our  encampment,  which  is  said  to  rise 


# 


»f 


2fiii 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


m 


near  Oreat  Marten  Lake.  Red-rock  Lake  is  in  e;encral  narrow 
its  shelvint;  banks  are  well  clothed  with  wood,  and  even  the  hills 
which  attain  an  elevation  of  four  hundred  or  five  hundred  feet 
are  ornamented,  half-way  up,  with  stunted  pines. 

On  June  30,  the  men  having;  gummed  the  canoes,  embarked 
with  their  burdens  to  descend  the  river  ;  but  we  accompanied  the 
Indians  about  five  miles  across  a  neck  of  land,  when  we  also  cm- 
barked.  The  river  was  about  two  hundred  yards  wide,  and  its 
course  bcinj;  uninterrupted,  we  cherished  a  sanf!;uine  hope  of  now 
getting  on  more  speedily,  until  we  perceived  that  the  waters  of 
Rock-nest  Lake  were  still  bound  by  ice,  and  that  recourse  must 
aj^ain  be  had  to  the  sledsjes.  The  ice  was  much  decayed,  and 
we  were  exposed  to  great  risk  of  breaking  through  in  making 
the  traverse.  In  one  part  we  had  to  cross  an  o\)e\\  channel  in  the 
canoes,  and  in  another  were  compelled  to  quit  the  lake,  and  make 
a  portage  along  the  land.  When  the  party  had  got  upon  the  ice 
again,  our  guide  evinced  much  uncertainty  as  to  the  route.  He 
first  directed  us  towards  the  west  end  of  the  lake  ;  but  when  we 
hod  nearly  gained  that  point,  he  discovered  a  remarkable  rock  to 
the  north-east,  named  by  the  Indians  the  Rocknest,  and  then  re- 
collected that  the  river  ran  at  its  base.  Our  course  was  immedi- 
ately changed  to  that  direction,  but  the  traverse  we  had  then  to 
make  was  more  dangerous  than  the  former  one.  The  ice  cracked 
under  us  at  every  step,  and  the  party  were  obliged  to  separate 
themselves  widely  to  prevent  accidents.  We  landed  at  the  first 
point  we  could  approach,  but  having  found  an  open  channel  close 
to  the  shore,  we  were  obliged  to  ferry  the  goods  across  on  pieces 
of  ice.  The  fresh  meat  being  expended,  we  had  to  make  another 
inioad  on  our  pounded  meat.  The  evening  was  very  warm,  and 
the  nuisquitoes  numerous.  A  large  lire  was  made  to  apprise  the 
hunters  of  our  advance.  The  scenery  of  Rock-nest  Lake  is  pic- 
turesque, its  shores  are  rather  low,  except  at  the  Rock's-nest,  and 
two  or  three  eminences  on  the  eastern  side.  The  only  wood  is 
the  pine,  which  is  twenty  or  thirty  feet  high,  and  about  one  foot 
in  diameter.     Our  distance  to-day  was  six  miles. 

Jult/  1. — Our  guide  directed  us  to  proceed  towards  a  deep  bay 
on  the  north  side  of  the  lake,  where  he  supposed  we  should  find 


TMh  »•  jT'ii 


*: 


or    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


29^ 


the  rivor.  Tn  consequence  of  the  had  state  of  the  ice,  we  employ* 
ed  all  the  clitTercnt  modes  of  travellin<;  wv.  had  previously  follow 
ed  in  attaining  this  place;  and,  in  crossinii:  a  point  of  land,  had 
the  misfijitiMie  to  lose  one  of  the  dogs,  which  s«t  otf  in  pursuit  of 
some  rein-deer.  Arrivins:  at  the  bay,  we  only  found  a  stream  that 
fell  into  it  front  the  northeast,  and  looked  in  vain  for  the  Copper- 
Mine  River.  This  circumstance  conftised  the  j;i;uide,  and  he  con- 
fessed that  he  was  now  doubtful  of  the  proper  route;  we.  there- 
fore, halted,  and  despatched  him,  with  two  men,  to  look  for  the 
river  from  the  top  of  the  hi};h  hills  near  the  Nest-rock.  During 
!Jiis  delay  a  sliji;ht  injury  was  repaireri,  whicii  one  of  th.'  catioes 
'lid  received.  We  were  here  amused  by  the  mterestinsj  spectacle 
J.  i  wolf  chasinj;  two  rcin-ileer  on  the  ice.  'I'he  pursuer  being 
ilurnied  at  the  sii;ht  of  our  men,  p;ave  up  the  chase  when  near  to 
•lie  hindmost,  much  lo  our  rej!;ret,  for  we  were  calculating  upon 
ihe  chance  of  sharing  in  his  capture. 

At  four  P.M.  our  men  returned,  with  the  a2;reeal)le  information 
ihnt  they  had  seen  the  river  flowin*;;  at  the  base  of  the  Rock-nest. 
The  canoes  and  stores  were  immediately  placed  on  the  ice,  and 
Jrag^ed  thither ;  we  then  embarked,  but  soon  had  to  cut  throu;];h 
a  barrier  of  drift  ice  that  blocked  up  the  way.  We  afterwards 
descended  two  strong  rapids,  and  encamped  near  to  the  discharge 
of  a  small  stream  which  flows  from  an  adjoining  lake.  The  Cop- 
per-Mine River,  at  this  point,  is  about  two  hundred  yards  wide, 
and  ten  feet  deep,  and  flows  very  rapidly  over  a  rocky  bottom. 
The  scenery  of  its  banks  is  picturesque,  the  hills  shelve  to  the 
water-side,  and  are  well  covered  with  wood,  and  the  surface  of 
die  rocks  is  richly  ornamented  with  lichens.  The  Indians  say 
that  the  same  kind  of  country  prevails  as  far  as  Mackenzie's 
River  in  this  parallel ;  but  that  the  land  to  the  eastward  is  per- 
fectly barren.  Akaitcho  and  one  of  the  Indians  killed  two  deer, 
ivhich  were  immediately  sent  for.  Two  of  the  hunters  arrived 
111  the  night,  and  we  learned  that  their  companions,  instead  of 
being  in  advance,  as  we  supposed,  were  staying  at  the  place  where 
we  first  found  the  river  open.  They  had  only  seen  our  fires  last 
evening,  and  had  sent  to  examine  who  we  were.  The  circum 
stance  of  having  passed  them  was  very  vexatious,  as  they  had 


'v 


294 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE   SHORES 


Li 


1  ^t 


'tf 


"If* 


-J? 


three  deer  <•;»  cache,  at  their  encampment.  However,  an  Indian 
was  sent  to  desire  those  who  remained  to  join  us,  and  bring  tiie 
meat.  * 

We  embarked  at  nine  A.M.  on  July  2nd,  and  descended  a  suc- 
cession of  strong  rapids  for  three  miles.  We  were  carried  alonw 
^  witi)  extraordinary  rapidity,  shooting  over  large  stones,  upon 
which  a  single  stroke  would  have  been  destructive  to  the  canoes- 
and  we  were  also  in  danger  of  breaking  them,  from  the  want  of 
the  long  poles  which  lie  along  their  bottoms  and  equalize  their 
cargoes,  as  they  plunged  very  much,  and  on  one  occasion  the  iirst 
canoe  was  almost  fdled  with  the  waves.  But  there  was  no  re- 
ceding after  we  had  once  launched  into  the  stream,  and  our  safety 
depended  on  the  skill  and  dexterity  of  the  bowmen  and  steers- 
men. The  banks  of  the  river  here  are  rocky,  and  the  scenery 
beautiful  ;  consisting  of  gentle  elevations  and  dales  wooded  to  liic 
edge  of  the  stream,  and  flanked  on  both  sides  at  the  distance  of 
three  or  four  miles  by  a  range  of  round-backed  barren  hills,  up- 
wards  of  six  hundred  feet  high.  At  the  foot  of  the  rapids  the 
high  lands  receded  to  a  greater  distance,  and  the  liver  flowed  with 
a  more  gentle  current,  in  a  wider  channel,  through  a  level  and 
open  country  consisting  of  alluvial  sand.  In  one  place  the  pas- 
sage was  blocked  up  by  drift  ice,  still  covered  to  some  depth 
with  snow  A  channel  for  the  canoes  was  made  for  some  way 
with  the  hatchets  and  poles  ;  but  on  reaching  the  more  compact 
part  we  were  under  the  necessity  of  transporting  the  canoes  and 
cargoes  across  it ;  an  operation  of  much  hazard,  as  the  snow  con- 
cealed the  numerous  holes  which  the  water  had  made  in  the  ice. 
This  expansion  of  the  river  being  mistaken  by  the  guide  for  a 
lake,  which  he  spoke  of  as  the  last  on  our  route  to  the  sea,  we 
supposed  that  we  should  have  no  more  ice  to  cross,  and  therefore 
encamped  after  passing  through  it,  for  the  purpose  of  fitting  the 
canoes  properly  for  the  voyage,  and  to  provide  poles,  which  are 
not  only  necessary  to  strengthen  them  when  placed  in  the  bot- 
tom, but  essentially  requisite  for  the  safe  management  of  them  in 
dangerous  rapids.  The  guide  began  afterwards  to  doubt  whether 
the  lake  he  meant  was  not  further  on,  and  he  was  sent  with  two 
men  to  examine  into  tlie  fact,  who  returned  in  the  evening  with 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


295 


the  infoi''"3tion  of  its  being  below  us,  but  that  there  was  an  open 
cnannel  through  it.  This  day  was  very  sultry,  several  plants  ap- 
peared i'    flower. 

The  men  were  employed  in  repairing  their  canoes  to  a  late  hour, 
and  commenced  very  early  next  morning,  as  we  were  desirous 
of  availing  ourselves  of  every  part  of  this  favourable  weather 
for  their  operations.  The  hunters  arrived  in  the  course  of  the 
rijrht.  It  appeared  that  the  dog  which  escaped  from  us  two  days 
350  came  into  the  vicinity  of  their  encampment,  howling  piteous- 
ly;  seeing  him  witi^'^ut  his  harness,  they  came  to  the  hasty  conclu- 
sion that  our  whole  party  had  perished  in  a  rapid ;  and  throwing 
3\vay  part  of  their  baggage,  and  leaving  the  meat  behind  them, 
they  setoff  with  the  utmost  haste  to  join  Long-legs.  Our  messen- 
ger met  theai  in  their  flight,  but  too  far  advanced  to  admit  of 
their  returning  for  the  meat.  Akaitcho  scolded  them  heartily  for 
their  thoughtlessness  in  leaving  the  meat,  which  we  so  much  want- 
ed. They  expressed  their  regret,  and  being  ashamed  of  their  panic, 
proposed  to  remedy  the  evil  as  much  as  possible  by  going  for- 
ward, without  stopping  until  they  came  to  a  favourable  spot  for 
hunting,  which  they  expected  to  do  about  thirty  or  forty  miles 
below  our  present  encampment.  Akaitcho  accompanied  them, 
but  previous  to  setting  off'  he  renewed  his  charge  that  we  should 
be  on  our  guard  against  the  bears,  which  was  occasioned  by  the 
hunters  having  fired  at  one  this  morning  as  they  were  descend- 
ing; a  rapid  in  their  canoe.  As  their  small  canoes  would  only 
carry  five  persons,  two  of  the  hunters  had  to  walk  in  turns  along 
the  banks. 

In  our  rambles  round  the  encampment,  we  witnessed  with  plea- 
sure the  progress  which  the  vegetation  had  made  within  the  few 
last  warm  days;  most  of  the  trees  had  put  forth  their  leaves,  and 
several  flowers  ornamented  the  moss-covered  ground  ;  many  of 
the  smaller  summer  birds  were  observed  in  the  woods,  and  a  va- 
riety of  ducks,  gulls,  and  plovers,  were  seen  on  the  banks  of  the 
river.  The  river  is  about  three  hundred  yards  wide  at  this  jiart, 
is  deep  and  flows  over  a  bed  of  alluvial  sand.  We  caught  some 
trout  of  considerable  size  with  our  lines,  and  a  few  white  fish  in 
the  nets,  which  maintained  us,  with  a  little  assistance  from  the 


Hi. 


# 


296 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


'H' 


,fJ^      I'M 
1*1    I  1      >r 


pemmiran.  The  rep;  ir  of  our  canoes  was  completed  this  even- 
ins.  Previous  to  emharkins;  I  issued  an  order  that  no  rapid 
should  in  futinc  be  desLended  until  the  bowmen  had  examined  it 
and  decided  upon  its  being;  safe  to  run.  Wherever  the  least  dan- 
ger was  to  be  apprehended,  or  the  crew  had  to  disembark  for  the 
purpose  of  lifi;hteninf>;  the  canoe,  the  ammunition,  j^uns  and  instru- 
ments, were  always  to  be  put  out  and  carried  alonj;;  the  bank ; 
that  we  mi2;ht  be  provided  with  the  means  of  subsisting  ourselves 
in  case  of  any  accident  befallinc;  the  canoes. 

-The  situation  of  our  encampment  was  ascertained  to  he  65' 
43'  28"  N.,  longitude  114°  26'  45"  W.,  and  the  variation  42'  17 
22"  E, 

At  four  in  the  morninaiof  July  4th  we  embarked  and  descend- 
ed a  succession  of  very  agitated  rapids,  but  took  the  precaution 
of  landing  the  articles  mentioned  yesterday,  wherever  there  ap- 
peared any  hazard  ;  notwithstanding  all  our  precautions  the  lead- 
ing canoe  struck  with  great  force  against  a  stone,  and  the  bark 
was  split,  but  this  Injury  was  easily  repaired,  and  we  regretted 
only  the  loss  of  time.  At  eleven  we  came  to  an  expansion  of 
the  river  where  the  current  ran  with  less  force,  and  an  accumu- 
lation of  drift  ice  had,  in  consequence,  barred  the  channel ;  wliicli 
the  canoes  and  cargoes  were  carried  over.  The  ice  in  many 
places  adhered  to  the  banks,  and  projected  in  wide  ledges  several 
feet  thick  over  the  stream,  which  had  hollowed  them  out  be- 
neath. On  one  occasion  as  the  people  were  embarking  from  one 
of  these  ledges,  it  suddenly  gave  way,  and  three  men  were  pre- 
cipitated into  the  water,  but  were  rescued  without  further  dam- 
age than  a  sound  ducking,  and  the  canoe  fortunately,  (and  nar- 
rowly) escaped  being  crushed.  Perceiving  one  of  the  Indians  sit- 
ting on  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  we  landed,  and  having  learn- 
ed from  him  that  Akaitcho  and  the  hunters  had  gone  in  pursuit  ot 
a  herd  of  musk  oxen,  we  encamped,  having  come  twenty-four 
miles  and  a  half. 

In  the  afternoon  they  brought  us  the  agreeable  intelligence  of 
their  having  killed  eight  cows,  of  which  four  were  full  grown.  All 
the  party  were  immediately  despatched  to  bring  in  this  seasonable 
supply.     A  young  cow  irritated  by  the  firing  of  the  hunters  ran 


V 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


t91 


down  to  the  river,  and  passed  close  to  me  when  walking  at  a 
short  distance  from  the  tents.  I  fired  and  wounded  it,  when  the 
animal  instantly  turned,  and  ran  at  me,  but  I  avoided  its  fury  by 
jumping  aside  and  getting  upon  an  elevated  piece  of  ground.  In 
the  mean  time  some  people  came  from  the  tents,  and  it  took  to 
flight. 

The  musk  oxen,  like  the  buffalo,  herd  together  in  bands,  and 
generally  frequent  the  barren  grounds  during  the  summer  months, 
keeping  near  to  the  banks  of  the  river,  but  retire  to  the  woods  in 
winter.  They  seem  to  be  less  watchful  than  most  other  wild  ani- 
mals, and  when  grazing  are  not  difficult  to  approach,  provided  the 
hunters  go  against  the  wind  ;  when  two  or  three  men  get  so  near  a 
herd  as  to  fire  at  them  from  different  points,  these  animals,  instead 
of  separating  or  running  away,  huddle  closer  together,  and  seve- 
ral are  generally  killed ;  but  if  the  wound  is  not  mortal  they  be- 
come enraged  and  dart  in  the  most  furious  manner  at  the  hunters, 
who  must  be  very  dexterous  to  evade  them.  They  can  defend 
themselves  by  their  powerful  horns  against  the  wolves  and  bears, 
which,  as  the  Indians  say,  they  not  unfrequently  kill. 

The  musk  oxen  feed  on  the  same  substances  with  the  rein-deer, 
and  the  prints  of  the  feet  of  these  two  animals  are  so  much  alike 
that  it  requires  the  eye  of  an  experienced  hunter  to  distinguish 
them.  The  largest  of  these  animals  hilled  by  us  did  not  exceed 
in  weight  three  hundred  pounds.  The  flesh  has  a  musky  dis- 
agreeable flavour,  particularly  when  the  animal  is  lean,  which  un- 
fortunately for  us  was  the  case  with  all  that  were  now  killed  by  us. 

During  this  day's  march  the  river  varied  in  breadth  from  one 
hundred  to  two  hundred  feet,  and  except  in  two  open  spaces,  a 
very  strong  current  marked  a  deep  descent  the  whole  way.  It 
flows  over  a  bed  of  gravel,  of  which  also  its  immediatis  banks  are 
composed.  Near  to  our  encampment  it  is  hounded  by  cliffs  of  fine 
sand  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  feet  high.  Sandy  plnins  ex- 
tend on  a  level  with  the  summit  of  these  cliffs,  and  at  the  distance  of 
six  or  seven  miles  are  terminated  by  ranges  of  hills  eight  hundred 
or  one  thousand  feet  high.  The  grass  on  these  plains  affords  ex- 
cellent pasturage  for  the  musk  oen,  and  they  generally  abound 
hero.    The  hunters  added  two  more  to  our  stock  in  the  course  of 

T'p 


''•i'; 


m 


ml 


«'.S 


',*» 


I    I 

li    I 


ft'  / 


h'':i  4 


\i 


!59ft 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


I  *         'is         ' 


1^   aj 


y, 


the  ni«cht.  As  we  had  now  more  meat  than  the  party  could  con- 
sume fresh,  we  delayed  our  voyage  next  day  for  the  purpose  of 
drying  it.  The  hunters  were  supplied  with  more  ammunition  and 
sent  forward  ;  hut  Akaitcho,  his  brother,  and  another  Indian  re- 
mained with  us. 

It  may  here  be  proper  to  mention,  that  the  officers  had  treated 
Akaitcho  more  distantly  since  our  departure  from  Point  Lake,  for 
the  purpose  of  shevvinj^  him  their  opitiionof  his  misconduct.  The 
dilifjjence  in  hunting,  however,  which  he  had  evinced  at  this  place 
induced  us  to  receive  him  more  familiarly  when  he  came  to  the 
tent  this  evening.  During  our  conversation  he  endeavoured  to 
excite  suspicions  in  our  minds  against  the  Hook,  by  saying,  "I 
am  aware  that  you  consider  me  the  worst  man  of  my  nation ;  but 
1  know  the  Hook  to  be  a  great  rogue,  and,  I  think,  he  will  dis- 
appoint you." 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th  we  embarked,  and  descended  a  series 
of  rapids,  having  twice  unloaded  the  canoes  where  the  water  was 
shallow.  After  passing  the  mouth  of  the  Fiiry*  Lake  River  the 
rapids  ceased.  The  main  stream  was  then  about  three  hundred 
yards  wide,  and  generally  deep,  though,  in  one  part,  the  channel 
was  interrupted  by  several  sandy  banks,  and  low  alluvial  islands 
covered  with  willows.  It  flows  between  banks  of  sand  thinly 
wooded,  and  as  we  advanced  the  barren  hills  approached  the  vva- 
teiV  edge. 

At  ten  we  rejoined  our  hunters,  who  had  killed  a  deer,  and 
halted  to  breakfast.  We  sent  them  forward ;  one  of  them,  who 
was  walking  along  the  shore  afterwards,  fired  upon  two  brown 
bears,  and  wounded  one  of  them,  which  instantly  turned  and 
pursued  him.  His  companions  in  the  canoes  put  ashore  to  his 
assistance,  but  did  not  succeed  in  killing  the  bears,  which  fled  upon 

•  This  is  an  Indian  name.  The  Northern  Indian  faries  are  six  inches  high, 
lead  a  life  similar  to  the  Indians,  and  are  excellent  huntei's.  Those  who  liave 
had  tlie  good  fortune  to  fall  in  with  their  tiny  encampments  have  been  kindly 
treated,  and  regaled  on  venison.  We  did  not  learn  with  certainty  whether 
the  existence  of  these  delightful  creatures  is  known  from  Indian  tradition,  or 
whether  the  Indians  owe  their  knowledge  of  them  to  their  intercourse  with 
the  traders,  but  tliinkthe  former  probable. 


•" 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


299 


the  reinforcement  connlna;  up.  During;  the  delay  thus  occasioned 
we  overtook  them,  and  they  continued  with  us  during  the  rest  of 
the  (lay. 

We  encamped  at  the  foot  of  a  lofty  ranpje  of  mountains,  which 
appear  to  be  from  one  thousand  two  hundred  to  one  thousand  live 
hundred  feet  high  ;  they  are  in  general  round  backed,  but  the  out- 
line is  not  even,  being  interrupted  by  craggy  conical  eminences. 
This  is  the  first  ridge  of  hills  we  have  seen  in  this  country,  that 
deserves  the  appellation  of  a  mountain  range  ;  it  is  probably  a  con» 
tinuation  of  the  stony  mountains  crossed  by  llearne.  Many  plants 
appeared  in  full  flower  near  the  tents,  and  Dr.  Kichardson  gather- 
ed some  high  up  on  the  hills.  The  distance  we  made  to-day  was 
fifty  miles. 

There  was  a  hoar  frost  in  the  night,  and  the  temperature,  at  four 
next  morning,  was  40°  :  embarking  at  that  hour  we  glided  quickly 
down  the  stream,  and  by  seven  arrived  at  the  Hook's  encamp- 
ment, which  was  placed  on  the  summit  of  a  lofty  sand  clitt'.  whose 
base  was  washed  up  the  river.  This  chief  had  with  him  only  three 
hunters,  and  a  few  old  men  and  their  families,  the  rest  of  his 
band  having  remained  at  their  snares  in  Bear  Lake.  His  brother, 
Long-legs,  and  our  guide  Keskarrah,  who  had  joined  him  three 
days  before,  had  ^^mm  inicated  to  him  our  want  of  provision,  and 
we  were  happy  to  ..nd  that,  departing  from  the  general  practice  of 
Indian  chiel's,  he  entered  at  once  upon  the  business,  without  making 
along  speech.  As  an  introductory  mark  of  our  regard,  I  decorat- 
ed him  with  a  medal,  similar  to  those  which  had  been  given  to  the 
other  leaders.  The  Hook  began  by  stating,  "  that  he  was  aware  of 
our  being  destitute  of  provision,  and  of  the  great  need  we  had  of 
an  ample  stock,  to  enable  us  to  execute  our  undertaking  ;  and  his 
regret,  that  the  unusual  scarcity  of  animals  this  season,  together  with 
the  circumstance  of  his  having  only  just  received  a  supply  of  am- 
munition from  Fort  Providence,  had  preventeti  him  from  collecli  g 
the  quantity  of  meat  he  had  wished  to  do  for  our  use.  The  amount, 
indeed,"  he  said,  "  is  very  small,  but  I  will  chccjftdly  give  you 
what  1  have  :  we  are  too  much  iniiebted  to  the  svhite  people,  to 
allow  them  to  want  food  on  our  lands,  whilst  we  have  any  to  give 
them.    Our  families  can  live  on  fish  until  we  can  procure  more 


lyj'^ 


r  mi 


300 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


Wi  1.  !!^ 


I 


4  •, 


It  ji' 1 1 'II 

,1  -t^i   *  1 


meat,  but  the  season  is  too  short  to  allow  of  jour  delaying;,  to  sain 
subsistence  in  that  manner."  He  immediately  desired,  aloud,  that 
the  women  should  bring  all  the  meat  they  had  to  us  ;  and  we  soon 
collected  sufficient  to  make  three  bags  and  a  half  of  pemmican 
besides  some  dried  meat  and  tongues.  We  were  truly  delighted  by 
this  prompt  and  cheerful  behaviour,  and  would  gladly  have  reward- 
ed the  kindness  of  himself  and  his  companions  by  some  substantial 
present,  but  we  were  limited  by  the  scantiness  of  our  store  to  a 
small  donation  of  fifteen  charges  of  ammunition  to  each  of  the 
chiefs.     In  return  for  the  provision  they  accepted  notes  on  the 
North-Wesi  Company,  to  be  paid  at  Fort  Providence ;  and  to  these 
■was  subjoined  an  order  for  a  few  articles  of  clothing,  as  an  additional 
present.  I  then  endeavoured  to  prevail  upon  the  Hook  to  remain 
in  this  vicinity  with  his  hunters  until  the  autumn,  and  to  make  de- 
posits of  provisions  in  different  parts  of  the  course  to  the  sea,  as  a 
resource  for  our  party,  in  the  event  of  our  being  compelled  to  re 
turn  by  this  route.     He  required  time,  however,  to  consider  this 
mailer,  and  promised  to  give  me  an  answer  next  day.     1  was  re- 
joiced to  find  him  then  prei)ared  to  meet  my  wish,  and  the  follow- 
ing pl;m  was  agreed  u})on  : — As  the  animals  abound,  at  all  times 
on  the  borders  of  IJear  Lake,  they  promised  to  remain  on  the  east 
side  of  it  until  the  month  of  November  at  that  spot  which  is  nearest 
to  the  Copper-Mine  Kiver,  from  whence  there  is  a  communica- 
tion by  a  chain  of  lakes  and  portages.     There  the  principal  de- 
posit of  provision  was  to  be  made  ;  but  during  the  summer  the 
hiMitcrs  were  to  be  employed  in  putting  up  supplies  of  dried  meat 
at  convenient  distances,  not  only  along  the  communication  from  this 
river,  but  also  upon  its  banks,  as  far  down  as  the  (  opper  JMoun- 
tain.  They  were  also  to  place  particular  marks  to  guifle  our  course 
to  their  lod<ies.      We  contracted  to  repay  them  liberally,  wheihei 
we  returned  by  this  way  or  not ;  if  we  did  they  were  to  accom- 
pany us  to  Fort  Providence  to  receive  the  reward  ;  and,  at  any  rate, 
I  p/omised  to  send  the  necessary  documents  by  Mr.  Wentzel, 
froiu  the  sea-coast,  to  ensure  their  having  an  amj)le remuneration. 
With  this  arrangement  they  were  perfectly  satisfied,  and  we  could 
not  be  less  so,  knowing  they  had  every  motive  for  fulfilling  their 
promises,  as  the  place  they  had  riiosen  to  remain  at  is  their  usual 


w 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA, 


301 


hunting-ground.  The  uncommon  anxiety  these  chiefs  expressed 
for  our  .safety,  appeared  lo  us  as  likely  to  prompt  them  to  every 
care  and  attention,  and  I  record  their  expressions  with  g;ratiti.ide. 
Alter  representing;  the  numerous  hardships  we  should  have  to  en- 
counter in  the  strongest  manner,  thou^;h  in  lans;uaa;e  similar  to 
what  we  had  often  heard  from  our  friend  Akaitcho,  they  ear- 
nestly entreated  we  would  he  constantly  on  our  sruard  ai^ainst  the 
treachery  of  the  Esquimaux  ;  and  no  less  forcibly  desired  we  would 
not  proceed  far  alonjj;  the  coast,  as  they  drealed  the  consecpiences 
of  our  being  exposed  to  a  tempestuous  sea  in  canoes,  and  having 
10  endure  the  cold  of  the  ainnmn  on  a  shore  destitute  of  fuel. 
The  Hook,  having  been  an  invalid  for  several  years,  rejoiced  at 
the  opportunity  of  consulting  Dr.  Richardson,  who  immediately 
jave  him  advice,  and  supplied  him  with  medicine. 

The  |X)unded  meat  and  fat  were  converted  intopemmican.  pre- 
paratory to  our  voyage. 

The  result  of  our  observations  at  the  Hook's  encampment  was, 
latitude  66°  45'  11"  N.,  longitude  115°  42'  23''  W.,  variation  of 
ofthecompass  46°  7' 30"  E. 

We  embarked  at  eleven  to  proceed  on  our  journey  ;  Akaitcho 
and  his  brother,  the  guide,  being  in  the  first  canoe,  and  old 
Keskarrah  in  the  other.  We  wished  to  dispense  with  the  fiirther 
attendance  of  two  guides,  and  made  a  proposition  that  either  of 
them  might  remain  here,  but  neither  would  relinquish  the  honour 
of  escorting  the  Expedition  to  the  sea.  One  of  our  hunters,  how- 
ever, was  less  eager  for  this  honour,  and  preferred  remaining  with 
Keskarrah's  fascinating  daughter.  The  other  four,  with  the  Little 
Singer,  accompanied  us,  two  of  them  conducting  their  small  canoes 
111  turns,  and  the  rest  walking  along  the  beach. 

The  river  flows  over  a  bed  of  sand,  and  winds  in  an  uninter- 
rupted channel  of  from  three  quarters  to  a  mile  broad,  between 
two  r'anges  of  hills,  which  are  j)retty  even  in  their  outline,  and 
round  backed,  hut  having  rather  steep  acclivities.  The  immediate 
borders  of  the  strsam  consisted  either  of  high  banks  of  sand,  or 
steep  gravel  clifl's:  and,  sometimes,  where  the  hills  receded  to  a 
little  distance,  the*ntervening  space  was  occupied  by  high  sandy 
ridges.  - 


M 


Joa 


A    JOURNKY    TO     THl.    SlIORKS 


nimm. 


yii/  Iff  J|;*  ii'^ 


At  three  P.M.,  after  passinj;  alon«;  the  fool  of  a  liij^h  v^u^c  oi' 
hills,  we  arrived  at  the  portatje  hnuiiiif!;  to  the  Hear  Lake,  to  which 
we  have  previously  alluded.  Its  position  is  very  rcniarkal)U!,  I)(iii<r 
situated  at  the  most  westerly  part  of  the  Co|>per-Mine  River,  ami 
at  the  point  where  it  resumes  a  northern  course,  and  forties  a  pas- 
saaie  throufj;h  the  lofty  ridj^e  of  mountains,  to  which  it  had  mii 
parallel  for  the  last  thirty  miles.  As  the  Indians  travel  from  hence 
with  their  fanulies,  in  three  days,  to  the  point  where  they  propose 
stayinjj;  for  us,  the  distance,  1  think,  cainiot  exceeil  forty  miles* 
and,  admitting  the  course  to  he  due  west,  which  is  the  dircciion 
the  guide  pointed,  that  distance  would  jjlace  the  eastern  part  of 
Bear  Lake  in  118^  VV.  longitude. 

Beyond  this  s|)ot  the  river  is  diminished  in  hreadlh,  and  a  suc- 
cession of  rapids  are  formed  ;  hut  as  the  water  was  deep,  ue 
passed  ih»ough  them  without  dischanring  any  part  of  the  car^;oos. 
It  still  runs  hetween  high  ranges  of  mountams,  though  its  acliiul 
boundaries  .ue  hanks  of  mud  mixed  with  clay,  which  are  clothed 
with  stunted  pines.  We  picked  u|)  a  deer  which  the  hunters  had 
shot,  and  killed  another  from  the  canoe;  and  also  received  ;mi  ad- 
dition to  our  stock  of  provision  of  seven  young  geese,  ivhich  the 
hunters  had  beaten  down  with  their  sticks.  Ahout  six  P  M.,  we 
perceived  a  mark  on  the  shore,  which,  on  examination,'  was  found 
to  have  been  recently  put  up  by  some  Indians;  and,  on  proceed- 
ing further,  we  discerned  stronger  proofs  of  their  being  near  to 
that  spot ;  we  therefore  encamped,  and  made  a  large  live  as  a 
signal,  which  they  answered  in  a  similar  way.  Mr.  Wentzel 
was  immediately  sent,  in  expectation  of  getting  provision  from 
them.  On  bis  return,  we  learned  that  the  party  consisted  of  three 
old  Copper  Indians,  with  their  faioilies,  who  had  sup|ioried  them- 
selves with  the  bow  and  arrow  since  last  autumn,  not  h;iving 
visited  Fort  Providence  for  more  tiian  a  year;  and  so  successlul 
had  they  been,  that  they  were  enabletl  to  su|)ply  us  with  upwards 
of  seventy  pounds  of  dried  meat,  and  six  moose  skins  lit  for  making 
shoes,  which  were  the  more  valuahle,  as  we  were  apprehensive  ol 
being  barefooted  before  the  journey  could  be  completed.  The 
evenin;n  n  as  sidtry,  and  the  mosquitoes  appeare^lf  in  great  numbers 
The  distance  made  to-day  twenty-five  miles. 


or    THE    POLAR    SKA. 


303 


On  the  followinf(  morninji;  \vc  went  down  to  (licsc  Inflians,  and 
rjclivered  to  them  notes  on  the  North-West  ('ompany,  for  the 
nient  and  skins  they  had  furnished  ;  and  we  had  then  the  mortifi- 
cation of  learninjj;,  that  not  havin<ij  people  to  carry  a  c.onsiderahle 
quantity  of  pounded  meat,  which  they  had  intended  for  us,  they 
had  left  it  upon  the  Hear-Lake  Portai^e.  They  promised,  how- 
ever, to  pet  it  conveyed  to  the  hanks  of  this  river  hefore  we 
could  return,  and  we  rewarded  them  with  a  present  of  knives  and 

lib. 

After  rc-embarkina;  we  continued  to  descend  the  river,  which 
was  now  contracted  between  lofty  banks  to  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  yards  wi<le  ;  the  current  was  very  strons;.  At  eleven 
wo  came  to  a  ra|)id,  which  had  been  the  theme  of  discourse  with 
the  Indians  for  many  days,  and  which  they  had  described  to  us  as 
impassable  in  canoes.  The  river  here  descends,  for  three  quar- 
tprsof  a  mile,  in  a  deep,  but  narrow  and  crooked,  cliannel,  which 
it  has  cut  through  the  foot  of  a  hill  of  live  hundretl  or  six  hun- 
dred feet  hif!;h.  It  is  confined  between  perpendicular  cliffs  re- 
semblinc;  stone  walls,  varying;  in  heii!;ht  from  eipjhty  to  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet,  on  which  lies  a  mass  of  fine  sand.  The  body 
of  the  river,  pent  within  this  narrow  chasm,  dashed  furiously 
round  the  projecting  rocky  columns,  and  discharged  itself  at  the 
iiorlhern  extremity  in  a  sheet  of  foam.  The  canoes,  after  dis- 
charging part  of  their  cargoes,  ran  through  this  defile  without  sus- 
taining any  injury.  Accurate  sketches  of  this  interesting  scene 
were  taken  by  Messrs.  Hack  and  Hood.  Soon  after  passing  this 
rapid,  we  perceived  the  hunters  running  up  the  east  side  of  the 
river,  to  prevent  us  from  disturbing  a  herd  of  musk  oxen,  which 
Ihey  had  observed  grazing  on  the  opposite  bank  ;  we  put  them 
across,  and  they  succeeded  in  killing  six,  upon  which  we  encamp- 
ed for  the  purpose  of  drying  the  meat.  The  country  below  the 
rooky  defile  rapid  consists  of  sandy  plains,  broken  by  small  coni- 
cal eminences  also  of  sand  ;  and  bounded  to  the  westward  by  a 
continuation  of  the  mountain  chain,  which  we  had  crossed  at  the 
Bear-Lake  Portage;  and  to  the  eastward  and  northward,  at  the 
<<ist;mce  of  twelve  miles,  by  the  Copper  Mountains  which  Mr. 


*    i 

•1 


vf 

Ht 

'fl 

p|\ 

i 

m 

■*)  -ill  f 


/' 


J 


304 


A   JOUKNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


f  J  ♦        I    ^     >  f 


Hearne  visited.  The  plains  are  crowned  by  several  clumps  of  mo- 
derately large  spruces,  about  thirty  feet  hij^h. 

This  evening  the  Indians  made  a  large  tire,  as  a  signal  to  the 
Hook's  party  that  we  had  passed  the  terrijic  rapid  in  safety. 

The  position  of  our  encampment  was  ascertained  to  be,  latiti(]o 
67°  1'  10"  N.,  longitude  116°  'il'  28"  W.,  variation  of  the  com- 
pass 44'^  11"  43"  K.,  dip  of  the  needle  87°  31'  18". 

Some  thunder  showers  retarded  the  drying  of  the  meat,  and 
our  embarkation  was  delayed  next  day.  The  hunters  were  sent 
forward  to  hunt  at  the  Copper  ISlountains,  under  the  superinlcn- 
dence  of  Adam,  the  interpreter,  who  received  strict  injunctions 
not  to  permit  them  to  make  any  large  lires,  lest  they  should  alarm 
straggling  parties  of  the  Esquimaux. 

The  musquitoes  were  now  very  numerous  and  annoying,  but 
we  consoled  ourselves  with  the  hope  that  their  season  would  be 
short. 

On  the  11th  we  started  at  three  A.M.,  and  as  the  guide  had  re- 
presented the  river  below  our  encampment  to  be  full  of  shoals, 
some  of  the  men  were  directed  to  walk  along  the  shore,  but  they 
were  assailed  so  violently  by  the  musquitoes,  as  to  be  com|)elle(l 
to  embark  very  soon;  and  we  afterwards  passed  over  the  shallow 
parts  by  the  aid  of  the  poles,  without  experiencing  much  interrup- 
tion. The  current  ran  very  rapidly,  having  been  augmented  by 
the  waters  of  the  Mouse  River  and  several  small  stieams.  We 
rejoined  our  hunters  at  the  loot  of  the  Coj)per  Mountains,  and 
found  they  had  killed  three  musk  oxen.  This  circumstance  de- 
termined us  on  encampmg  to  dry  the  meat,  as  there  was  wood  at 
the  spot.  We  availed  ourselves  of  this  delay  to  visit  the  Copper 
Mountains  in  search  of  specimens  of  the  ore,  agreeably  to  my  in- 
structions ;  and  a  party  of  twenty-one  persons,  consisting  of  the 
officers,  some  of  the  voyagers,  and  all  the  Indians,  set  oti'  on  that 
excursion  We  travelled  for  nine  hours  over  a  considerable  space 
of  ground,  but  found  only  a  few  small  pieces  of  native  copper. 
The  range  we  ascended  was  on  the  west  side  of  the  rive)-,  extend- 
ins;  W.N.W.  and  E.S.E.  The  mountains  varied  in  hei:i;ht  from 
one  thousand  two  hundred  to  one  thousand  live  hundred  feet.  For 
a  description  of  tlie  character  of  the  rocks  I  must  refer  the  reader 


OF    THF.    POLAR    SLA. 


•SM 


to  Dr.  Richardson's  Mineralosical  Observations.  'The  unifoi* 
injty  of  the  mountains  is  interruptetl  by  narrow  valleys  traverseil 
bv  small  streams.  The  best  specimens  of  metal  \vc  prooiiied 
were  found  among;  the  stones  in  these  valleys,  and  it  was  in  snoh 
situations  that  our  guides  directed  us  to  search  most  carefully.  It 
would  appear,  that  when  the  Indians  see  any  sparry  substance 
projectinfj;  above  the  surface,  they  dig  there ;  but  they  have  no 
other  rule  to  direct  them,  and  have  never  found  the  metal  in  its 
orij^inal  repository.  Our  guides  reported  that  they  had  found  coj)- 
per  in  large  pieces  in  every  part  of  this  range,  for  two  days'  walk 
to  the  north-west,  and  that  the  Esquimaux  come  hither  to  search 
for  it.  The  annual  visits  which  the  Copper  Indians  were  accus- 
tomed to  make  to  these  mountains,  when  most  of  their  weapons 
anil  utensils  were  made  of  copper,  have  been  discontinued  since 
tliey  have  been  enabled  to  obtain  a  supply  of  ice  chisels  and  other 
instruments  of  iron  by  the  establishment  of  trading  posts  near  to 
their  hunting  grounds.  That  none  of  those  who  accompanied  us 
had  visited  them  for  many  years  was  evident,  from  their  igno- 
rance of  the  spots  most  abundant  in  metal. 

The  impracticability  of  navigating  the  river  upwards  from  the 
sea,  and  the  v^ant  of  wood  for  forming  an  establishment,  would 
prove  insuperable  objections  to  rendering  the  collection  of  copper 
at  this  part  worthy  of  mercantile  speculation. 

We  had  the  opportunity  of  surveying  the  country  from  several 
elevated  positions.     Two  or  three  small  lakes  only  were  visible 
still  partly  frozen  ;  and  much  snow  remained  on  the  mountains. 
The  trees  were  reduced  to  a  scanty  fringe  on  the  borders  of  the 
river,  and  every  side  was  beset  by  naked  irountains. 

The  day  was  unusually  warm,  and,  therefore,  favourable  for 
drying  the  meat.  Our  whole  stock  of  provision,  calculated  for 
preservation,  was  sufficient  for  fourteen  days,  without  any  dimi- 
nution of  the  ordinary  allowance  of  three  pounds  to  each  man  per 
day.  The  situation  of  our  tents  was  G7"  10'  30"  N.,  longitude 
116°  25'  45"  W. 

June  12. — The  Indians,  knowing  the  course  of  the  river  be- 
low this  point  to  e  only  a  succession  of  rapids,  dec  incd  taking 
their  canoes  any  airther  ;  bijt  as  I  conceived  one  of  them  would 


.'I    ■  i 


ti.fcil 


j()(i 


A    rOlTRNC.Y    10  THF.    SHOIIF.S 


hv  roquired.  should  \vc  \ni  conipcllfd  to  walk  alonj;  Ihc  coast,  two 
ot"  our  men  were  apiiointcd  to  conduct  it. 

As  uc  wcro  now  fnfcrinc^  on  the  confine's  of  the  Es(|tiim;inx 
country  our  2;uides  rocoinmendfMl  us  to  bo  cniitious  in  liirlitiiio 
fires,  lest  \\c  should  discover  ourselves,  adding;  that  the  same  itq- 
son  would  lead  them  to  travel  ;is  much  as  possible  in  the  valiovs 
and  to  void  crossin^j  the  tops  of  the  hills.  We  endjarked  at  six 
A.M.,  taking;  with  us  only  old  KeskiU-rah.  The  otht;r  Indians 
walked  alonu  the  hanks  of  the  river.  'l'hroua;hout  this  day's  voy- 
aji;c  the  curicnt  was  very  slronp;,  r!U'iuins2;  four  or  five  miles  an 
hour;  but  the  navis!;ation  was  tolerable,  and  we  had  to  lii'litcn 
the  canoes  only  onre!  in  a  contra''led  part  of  the  river  where  the 
waves  were  wry  hi<;h.  The  river  is  in  many  |)laces  confmed  be- 
tween perpendicular  walls  of  rock  to  one  hundred  and  I'lfty  yards 
in  width,  and  thei'c  the  rapids  were  most  a<iilated.  Lartj;e  iiia.sse> 
of  ice  twelve  or  foiuteen  feet  thicdi,  were  slill  a<lherin<;  to  nianv 
parts  of  the  bank,  indicating;  the  lardy  departure  of  winter  from 
this  inhospitable  land,  but  the  earth  around  them  was  rich  with 
ve2;etation.  In  the  eveninsi;  two  nuisk  oxen  beinc;  seen  011  the 
beach,  were  pursued  and  killed  by  our  men.  Whilst  wc  were 
wailina;  to  emhaik  the  uieat,  the  Indians  rejoined  us,  and  report- 
ed they  had  been  attacked  by  a  bear,  which  sprang  upon  them 
whdst  they  were  conversin;:;  together.  Mis  attack  was  so  sud- 
den that  they  had  not  time  to  level  their  guns  j)roperly,  and 
they  all  missed  except  Akaitcho,  who,  less  confused  than  the 
rest,  look  deliberate  aim,  and  shot  the  animal  dead.  'I'hcy  do 
not  eat  the  flesh  of  the  bear,  but  knowing  that  we  had  no  such 
prejudice,  they  brought  us  yaiuv  of  the  choice  pieces,  which  upon 
trial  we  found   to  be  excellent  meat. 

Tb.c  Indians  having  informed  us  that  wc  were  now  within 
twelve  miles  of  the  rapid  where  the  Ks(juimaux  have  invarial)ly 
been  found,  wc  pitched  our  tents  on  the  beach,  under  the  shcher 
of  a  high  hill  whose  precipitous  side  is  washed  by  the  river,  in- 
tenfling  to  send  forward  some  persons  to  dettrminc  the  situation 
o^  their  present  abode.  Some  vestiges  of  an  old  Esquimaux  en- 
carnpdHMit  were  obscrvetl  near  to  the  tents,  and  the  stumps  of  the 
Irees  bore  marks  of  the  stone  hatchets  ihev  use.     A  strict  watch 


'^'t^'       *'V, 


OF    THE    I'OI.AR    SEA. 


307 


was  appointod,  consistiii;^;  of  an  ofl'cer,  four  Cunad inns,  and  an  In- 
dian, ami  tlirt'Ct.ons  were  «:;iv(ii  for  tlh;  rest  of  the  party  to  sleep 
uitli  their-  arms  hy  their  side.  That  as  little  delay  as  |i()ssil)lo 
miijlit  he  experienced  in  ojM'ninu;  a  coniniuniealion  with  the  lls- 
(jiiininiix,  we  immediately  conmienfed  the  arran^ement.s  tor  send- 
in;'  forward  persons  to  discover  whether  there  were  any  in  our 
vicinity.  Akailcho  and  the  ij;uides  pro[)osed  that  two  of  the 
hunters  should  be  dis[jalehed  on  this  service,  who  had  extremely 
quick  sii;ht,  and  were  accustomed  to  act  as  scouts,  an  ollice  which 
required  t'qual  oantion  and  circumspection.  A  strona;  objection, 
hoACver,  lay  aaiainst  this  plan,  in  the  jirohability  of  their  bcins; 
ijiscovered  by  a  stra^;';linjj;  hunter,  which  would  Ik;  destructive  to 
cvt'i y  ho|)e  of  accommoilation.  It  was  therefore  determined  to 
send  Aun'ustus  and  Junius,  who  were  very  desirous  to  undeitake 
tiie  service.  These  adventurous  men  proposed  to  o;o  armed  only 
with  pistols  concealed  in  their  dress,  and  furnished  with  heads, 
lookii!i>;-j;'lasses  and  other  ai'ticles,  that  tliey  mi^ht  conciliate  their 
countrymen  by  presents.  We  could  not  fiivest  our  minds  of  the 
apprehension,  that  it  mi>;hi  be  a  service  of  much  hazard,  if  the 
Esquimaux  were  as  hostile  to  stranujers  as  the  Copper  Indians 
have  invariably  rej)resentcd  ihem  to  be ;  and  \\c  felt  j^rcat  reluc- 
tance in  exjjosinsi;  our  two  little  interpreters,  who  had  rendered 
ihemselves  dear  to  the  whole  party,  to  the  most  distant  chance  of 
receiving  injury;  but  this  course  of  proceeding  appeared  in  their 
opinion  and  our  own  to  oiler  the  only  chance  of  gaining  an  inter- 
view. Though  not  insensible  to  the  danger,  they  cheerfully  pre- 
pared for  their  mission,  and  clothed  themselves  in  f^squimaux 
dresses,  which  had  been  made  for  the  purpose  at  Fort  Kn'erprizc. 
Augustus  was  tlesired  to  make  his  presents,  and  to  tell  the  Ks(iui- 
maux  that  the  white  men  had  come  to  make  j)cace  between  them 
and  all  their  enemies,  and  also  to  discover  a  passage  by  which 
every  article  of  which  they  stood  in  need  might  be  brought  in 
large  ships.  He  was  not  to  mention  that  we  were  accompa- 
nied by  the  Indians,  but  to  endeavour  to  prevail  on  some  of  the 
Esquimaux  to  return  with  him.  He  was  iliiecteil  to  come  back 
nunediately  if  there  were  no  lodges  at  the  rapid. 
The  Indians!  were  not  suffered  to  move  out  of  our  sight,  but. 


m 


r:* 


::kp^ 


11 


'',ilf 


i*) 


'  P'X. 


M 


•m 


30fi 


A    JOURNEY   TO    THL    SHORES 


-jn| 

,v^HHjHH 

^fl 

%^^JWTt 

^^^9 

.:'i.|^| 

'"Si 


in  the  evening  we  permitted  two  of  them  to  cross  the  river  irj 
pursuit  of  a  mask  ox,  vvhirh  they  killed  on  the  beach,  and  re- 
turm.'d  immediately.  The  officers,  prompted  by  an  anxious  solici- 
tude for  Augustus  and  Junius,  crawled  up  frequently  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain,  to  watch  their  return.  The  view,  however, 
was  not  extensive,  being  bounded  at  the  distance  of  eight  miles  by 
a  range  of  hills  similar  to  the  Copper  Mountains,  but  not  so  lofty. 
The  night  came  without  bringing  any  intelligence  of  our  messen- 
gers, and  our  fears  for  their  safety  increased  with  the  length  of 
their  absence. 

As  every  one  had  been  interested  in  the  welfare  of  these  men, 
through  their  vivacity  and  good  nature,  and  for  the  assistance  they 
had  cheerfully  rendered  in  bearing  their  proportion  of  whatever 
labour  might  be  going  on,  their  detention  formed  the  subject  of 
all  our  CO  iversation,  and  numerous  conjectures  were  hazarded  as 
to  the  cause.  ^ 

Dr.  Richardson  having  the  first  watch,  had  gone  to  the  summit 
of  the  hill,  and  remained  seated  contemplating  the  river  that 
washed  the  precipice  under  his  feet,  long  after  dusk  had  hid  dis- 
tant objects  from  his  view.  H is  thoughts  were,  perhaps,  far  distant 
fi'om  the  surrounding  objects,  when  he  was  roused  by  an  indis- 
tinct noise  l)ehind  him,  and  on  locking  round,  perceived  that  nine 
V  bite  wolves  had  ranged  themselves  in  form  of  a  crescent,  and 
were  advancing,  apparently  with  the  intention  of  driving  him  into 
the  river.  On  his  rising  up  they  halted,  and  when  he  advanced 
they  made  way  for  his  passage  down  to  the  tents.  He  had  his  gun 
in  his  hand,  but  forbore  to  fire,  lest  there  should  be  Esquimaux 
in  the  neighbourhood.  During  Mr.  VVentzel's  middle  watch  the 
wolves  appeared  repeatedly  on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  and  atone 
time  they  succeeded  in  driving  a  deer  over  the  precipice.  The 
animal  was  stunned  by  the  fall,  but  recovering  itself,  swam  across 
the  stream,  and  escaped  up  the  river.  I  may  remark  here  that  at 
midnight  it  was  tolerably  dark  in  the  valley  of  the  river  at  this 
time,  but  that  an  object  on  the  eminence  al)ove  could  be  distinctly 
seen  against  the  sky. 

The  following  observations  were  taken  at  this  encampment, 
i»titude   67°  2'3'  M"  N.,   longitude    116°  6'  51"  VV.,   variation 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


309 


49*  46'  24"  E.     Thermometer  75°  at  three  P.M.     Sultry  wea- 
ther. 

Aus'istus  and  Junius  not  having;  returned  next  morning;,  we 
were  more  alarmed  respectins;  them,  and  determined  on  proceed- 
ing to  find  out  the  cause  of  their  detention,  hut  it  was  eleven 
A.M.  hefore  wc*  could  prevail  upon  the  Indians  to  remain  behind, 
which  we  wished  them  to  do,  fearing  that  the  Esquimaux  mig;ht 
suspect  our  intentions,  if  they  were  seen  in  our  suite.  We  pro- 
mised to  send  for  them  when  we  had  paved  the  way  for  their 
reception  ;  but  Akaitcho,  ever  ready  to  augur  misfortune,  ex- 
pressed his  belief  that  our  messengers  had  been  killed,  arid  that 
the  Esquimaux,  warned  of  our  approach,  were  lying  in  wait  for 
us,  and  "  although,"  said  he,  "  your  party  may  be  suiTiciently 
•tnng  to  repulse  any  hostile  attack,  my  band  is  too  weak,  when 
separated  from  you,  to  offer  an  effectual  resistance  ;  and  there- 
fore we  are  determined  to  go  on  with  you,  or  to  return  to  our 
lands."  After  much  argument,  however,  he  yielded  to  our  re- 
quest, and  agreed  to  stay  behind,  provided  Mr.  Wentzel  would 
remain  with  him.  This  gentleman  was  accordingly  left,  with 
a  Canadian  attendant,  and  they  promised  not  to  pass  a  range 
of  hills  then  in  view  to  the  northward,  unless  we  sent  notice  to 
them. 

The  river  during  the  whole  of  this  day's  voyage  flowed  between 
alternate  cliffs  of  loose  sand  intermixe<l  with  gravel,  and  red  sand 
stone  rocks,  and  was  everywhere  shallow  and  rapid.  As  its 
course  was  very  crooked,  much  time  was  spent  in  examining  the 
different  rapids  previous  to  rimning  them,  but  the  canoes  de- 
scended them,  except  at  a  single  place,  without  any  difficulty. 
Most  of  the  officers  and  half  <he  men  marched  along  the  land  to 
lighten  the  canoes,  and  reconnoitre  the  country,  each  person  being 
armed  with  a  gun  and  a  dagger.  Arriving  id  a  range  cf  moun- 
tains which  had  terminated  our  view  yesterday,  we  ascended  it 
with  much  eagerness,  expecting  to  soe  the  rapid  that  Mr.  Hearnc 
visited  near  to  its  base,  and  to  gain  a  view  of  the  sea ;  but  our 
disappointment  was  proportionably  great,  when  we  beheld  be- 
yond a  plain  similar  to  that  we  had  just  felt,  termiualod  by. 
another  range  of  trap  hills,  between  whose  tops  the  summits  of 


"m 


% 


•Ml 


E'l 


! 


Ik 


\ 


310 


A    .TOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


some  distant  blue  mountains  appeared.  Our  reliance  on  the  in- 
formation  of  the  guides,  which  had  been  for  some  time  shaken 
was  now  quite  at  an  end,  and  we  feared  that  the  sea  was  stdl  far 
distant.  The  flat  country  here  is  covered  with  ii;rass,  and  is  '!o- 
void  of  the  Jarj^e  stones,  so  frequent  in  the  barren  grounds ;  but 
the  ranges  of  trap  hills  which  seem  to  intersect  it  at  regular  dis- 
tances are  quite  barren.  A  few  decayed  stunted  pines  were 
standing  on  ihe  borders  of  the  river.  In  the  evening  we  had 
the  gratification  of  meeting  Junius,  who  was  hastening  back  to 
inform  us  that  they  had  found  four  Esquimaux  tents  at  the  fall 
which  we  recognized  to  be  the  one  described  by  Mr.  Hearnc. 
The  inmates  were  asleep  at  the  time  of  theii  arrival,  but  rose 
soon  afterwards,  and  tlien  Augustus  presented  himself,  and  had 
some  conversation  across  the  river.  He  told  thein  the  whiij 
people  had  arrived,  who  would  make  them  very  useful  presi  .ts 
The  information  of  our  arrival  seemed  to  alarm  them  very  mucli, 
but  as  the  noise  of  the  rapid  prevented  them  from  hearing  dis- 
tinctly, one  of  them  came  nearer  to  him  in  his  canoe,  and  re- 
ceived the  rest  of  the  message.  He  would  not,  however,  land  on 
his  side  of  the  river,  but  returned  to  their  tents  without  receiving 
the  present.  His  language  dilfered  in  some  respects  from  Augus- 
tus's, but  they  understood  each  other  tolerably  well.  Augustus 
trusting  for  a  supply  of  provision  to  the  Esquimaux,  had  neglect- 
ed to  carry  any  with  him,  and  this  was  the  main  cause  of  Junius's 
return.  Wc  now  encamped,  having  come  fourteen  miles.  After 
a  few  hours'  rest,  Junius  set  off  again  to  rejoin  his  companion, 
being  accompanied  by  Hepburn,  who  was  directed  to  remain 
about  two  miles  above  the  fall,  to  arrest  the  canoes  on  their  pas- 
sage, lest  wc  should  too  suddenly  surprise  the  Esquimaux.  About 
ten  P.M.  we  were  mortified  by  the  appeaiauce  of  the  Indians  with 
Mr.  Wentzel,  who  had  in  vain  endeavoured  to  jestrain  them  fron. 
following  us.  The  only  reason  assigned  by  Akaitcho  for  thio 
conduct  was,  that  he  wished  a  I'e-assutance  of  my  promise  to 
establish  peace  l.tetween  his  nation  ami  the  Esquimaux.  I  took 
this  o»casion  of  pointing  out.  again  the  necessity  of  their  remaiuiu;^ 
behind,  until  we  had  obtained  the  confulence  and  good  wilt  of 
t.heir  enemiefi.     After  supper  Dr.  Richardson  ascended  a  lofty  hill 


OF    THE    POLAR    SF.A. 


311 


St*' 


about  three  miles  from  the  encampment,  and  obtained  the  first 
view  of  the  sea;  it  appeared  to  he  covered  with  ice.  A  laraje 
promontory,  which  1  named  Cape  Ilearne,  bore  N.K-.and  its  lofty 
mountains,  j)roved  to  be  the  bhie  land  we  had  seen  in  the  fore- 
noon, and  which  had  led  us  to  believe  th*;  sea  was  still  far  distant. 
•  le  saw  the  sun  set  a  few  minutes  before  midniiijht  from  the  same 
elevated  situation.  It  diti  not  rise  tlurinii;  the  half  hour  he  re- 
mained there,  bul  before  he  reached  the  encampment  its  rays  gilded 
the  tops  of  the  hills. 

The  night  was  warm  and  we  were  much  annoyed  by  the  mus- 
quitoes. 

June  15. — We  this  morning  experienced  as  much  difiiculty  as 
before  in  prevailing  upon  the  Indians  to  remain  behind,  and  they 
(lid  not  consent  to  do  so  until  1  had  assuied  them  that  ihey  should 
lose  the  reward  which  had  iieen  promiseil,  if  they  proceeded  any 
farther,  until  we  had  prepared  the  Esquimaux  to  receive  them. 
We  left  a  Cana<han  with  them,  and  proceeiled  on  our  journey,  not 
without  apprehension  that  they  would  follow  us,  and  derange  our 
whole  plan  by  their  obstinacy.  Two  of  the  officers  and  a  party 
of  the  men  walked  on  the  shore,  to  lighten  the  canoes.  The  river, 
in  this  part,  flows  between  high  sand-stone  cliffs,  reddisii  sl.ite 
clay  rocks,  and  shelving  banks  of  white  clay,  and  is  full  of  shoals 
and  daiigctrous  rapids  One  of  these  was  tefnit-d  Escape  R;ipid, 
from  both  the  canoes  having  narrowly  esc.iped  foundei  iug  in  its 
hijih  waves.  We  had  entered  the  rapiil  before  we  were  aware, 
an ;  t|,e  steepness  of  the  clifls  preveutinu:  us  from  landigg.  we 
'    ij  itbted  to  the  swiftness  of  our  descent  lor  our  preservation. 

i .  c' js  made  a  cou)plele  breach  over  the  canoes;  a  third 
would  iii  •  M  probabilily  have  filled  and  overset  them,  which  must 
have  proved  fatal  to  every  one  in  them.  The  powder  fortunatdy 
escaped  the  water,  which  was  soon  discharged  when  we  re:iched 
the  bottom  of  the  rapid.  At  noon  we  perceived  Hepburn  lying 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  and  we  landed  immediately  to  re- 
ceive his  information      As  he  represented  the  water  1o  be  shoal 

he  whole  way  to  the  rapid,  (below  which  the  Esquimaux  were,) 
♦'  '^  shore  party  were  directed  to  continue  their  march  to  a  sandy 
uay  al  the  head  of  the  fall,  and  there  await  the  arrival  of  the  ca- 


/ 


■^, 


ir 


312 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE   KliORES 


,.>^*1 


mH^ 


I'ivfifv:!.' 

1'     •■   •»' '/iff  T¥  n 
i  *■  t  if  a 


noes.  Tho  land  in  the  neif^hbourhooJ  of  the  rapid,  is  of  the  mos'i 
sinjj;ular  form  :  lare;e  irre}j;uhir  sand  hills  bounding  both  banks 
apparently  so  unconnected  that  they  resemble  iceberf^s  ;  the  coun- 
try around  them  consisting  of  high  round  green  hills.  The  rivei 
became  wide  in  this  part,  an<i  full  of  shoals,  but  we  had  no  dilli- 
culty  in  finding  a  chamiel  through  them.  On  regaining  the  shore 
party,  we  regretted  to  lind  that  some  of  the  men  had  incautiously 
appeared  on  the  tops  of  the  hills,  just  at  the  time  Augustus  was 
conversing  with  one  of  the  Ksquimaux,  who  had  ap|iroadjc(l  in 
his  canoe,  and  was  almost  perstiaded  to  land.  The  unfortunotc 
appearance  of  so  many  people  at  this  instant,  revived  his  fears, 
and  he  cri^'-sed  over  to  the  eastern  hank  of  the  river,  and  fled 
with  the  vvl.  )  his  party.     We  learned  from  Augustus  that 

this  party,  con  ng  of  four  men  and  as  many  women,  had  mani- 
fested a  friendly  dis|)osition.  Two  of  the  men  were  very  tall. 
The  man  who  fust  came  to  speak  to  him,  inquired  the  number  of 
canoes  that  we  had  with  us,  expressed  himself  to  be  not  disuluas- 
cd  at  our  arrival,  and  desired  him  to  caution  us  not  to  attempt 
running  the  rapid,  but  to  make  the  portage  on  tho  west  side  of 
the  river.  Notwithstanding  this  appearance  of  conlidence  and  sa- 
tisfaction, it  seems  they  did  not  consider  their  situation  to  be  free 
from  danger,  as  they  retreated  the  iirst  night  to  an  island  some- 
what farther  down  the  river,  and  in  the  morning  they  returned 
and  threw  down  their  hnlges,  as  if  to  give  notice  to  any  of  their 
nation  that  might  arrive,  that  there  was  an  enemy  in  the  neig;li- 
bourhood.  From  seeing  all  their  property  strewed  about,  and  ten 
of  their  dogs  left,  we  entertained  the  hope  that  these  poor  people 
would  return  after  their  (irst  alarm  had  subsided  ;  and  therefore 
I  determined  on  remaining  until  the  next  day,  in  the  expectation 
of  seeing  them,  as  I  considered  the  opening  of  an  early  conununi- 
cation  to  be  a  matter  of  the  greatest  importance  in  our  state  of  ab- 
solute ignorance  re-uecting  the  sea  coast.  The  canoes  and  cargoes 
were  carried  across  the  portage,  and  we  encamped  on  the  norili 
side  of  it.  We  sent  Augustus  and  Junius  across  the  river  to  look 
for  the  runaways,  but  their  search  was  fruitless.  They  put  a  few 
pieces  of  iron  and  trinkets  in  their  canoes,  which  were  lyinj,  on 
the  beach.     We  also  sent  some  men  to  put  up  the  stages  of  tish, 


or    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


313 


anil  secure  them  as  much  as  possihle  from  the  attacks  of  the  donjs. 
Uiulcr  the  covering  of  their  tents  were  observed  some  stone  ket- 
tles and  liutchets,  a  few  fish  spears  made  of  copper,  two  small  bits 
of  iron,  a  quantity  of  skins,  and  some  (hied  sahnon,  which  was 
covered  with  ,iai;ji;ots,  and  half  pntrid.  The  entrails  of  the  fish 
were  spread  out  to  dry.  A  great  man}-  skins  of  small  birds  were 
hung  up  to  a  stage,  and  even  two  mice  woie  jireserved  in  the 
same  way.  Thus  it  woidd  appear  that  the  necessities  of  these 
poor  people  imluce  them  to  preserve  every  article  that  can  he 
possibly  used  as  food.  Several  human  skulls  which  bore  the 
iiiiirks  of  violence,  and  many  bones  were  strewed  al)ont  the  ground 
near  to  the  encamj)ment,  and  as  the  spot  exactly  ans\^'ers  the  de- 
scription given  by  Mr.  llearne,  of  the  j)Iace  where  the  Chipew- 
yaiis  who  accompanied  him  perpetrated  the  dreadful  massacre  on 
llie  Ksipiimaux,  we  had  no  doubt  of  this  being  the  place,  not- 
withstanding the  dilference  in  its  position  as  to  latitude  and  lon- 
jfitiule  given  by  him,  ami  ascertained  by  our  observation.  We 
have,  therefore,  preserved  the  ap])ellation  of  Bloody  Fall,  which 
he  bestowed  upon  it.  Its  situation  by  our  observation  is,  in  lati- 
tiitle  67°  42'  3.5"  N.,  longitude  115°  4!)'  33"  W.,  variation^O*' 
;iO'  14"  K.  This  rapid  is  a  sort  of  shelving  cascade,  about  three 
hundred  yards  in  length,  having  a  descent  of  from  ten  to  fifteen 
feel.  It  is  hounded  on  each  side  by  high  walls  of  red  sand  stone, 
upon  which  rests  a  scries  of  lofty  green  hills.  On  its  north  side, 
close  to  the  east  bank,  is  the  low  rocky  island  which  the  Esqui- 
maux deserted.  We  caught  forty  excellent  fish  of  the  salmon 
anel  white  fish  species  in  a  single  net  below  the  rapid.  We  had 
not  seen  any  trees  during  this  day's  journey  ;  our  fuel  consisted 
of  small  willovvs  and  pieces  of  dried  wood  that  were  picked  up 
near  to  the  encampment.  The  ground  is  well  clothed  with  grass, 
and  nouiishes  most  of  the  shrubs  and  berry-hearing  plants  that 
we  have  seen  north  of  Fort  Enterprize ;  and  the  country  alto- 
gether has  a  richer  appearance  than  the  barren  lands  of  the  Cop- 
per Indians.  We  had  a  distmct  view  of  the  sea  from  the  summit 
of  a  hill  behind  the  tents  j  it  appeared  choked  with  ice  and  full  of 
islands. 

R  V 


314: 


k  ..OUIINEY  TO  T-ITK  SITOTIF.3 


On  the  morning  of  the  16th  '  je  men  were  sent  up  the  river 
to  search  for  dried  wood  to  make  floats  for  the  nets.  Adam,  the 
interpreter,  was  also  despatched  with  a  Canadian,  to  inform  Akait- 
cho  of  the  flight  of  the  Ksquimaux.  We  were  preparing  to  <ro 
down  to  the  sea  in  one  of  the  canoes,  leaving  Mr.  Back  to  await 
the  retnrn  of  the  men  who  were  ahsent ;  but  just  as  the  crew  were 
putting  the  canoe  in  the  water,  Adam  arrived  in  the  utmost  con- 
sternation, and  informed  us  that  a  party  of  Ksquimaux  were  pur- 
suing the  men  whom  he  had  sent  to  collect  floats.  The  orders  for 
embarking  were  instantly  countermanded,  and  we  went  with  a 
party  of  men  to  their  rescue.  We  soon  met  our  people  return! ne 
at  a  slow  pace,  and  learned  that  they  had  come  unawares  upon  the 
Esquimaux  party,  which  consisted  of  six  men,  with  their  women 
and  children,  who  were  travelling  towards  the  rapid  with  u  con- 
siderable number  of  dogs  carrying  their  baggage.  The  women 
hid  themselves  on  the  first  alarm,  but  the  men  advanced,  and 
stopping  at  some  distance  from  our  men,  began  to  dance  in  a 
circle,  tossing  up  their  hands  in  the  air,  and  accompanying  thcii 
motions  with  much  shouting,  to  signify,  I  conceive,  their  desire 
of^cace.  Our  men  saluted  them  by  pulling  ofi"  their  hats,  and 
making  bows,  but  neither  party  was  willing  to  approach  the  other; 
and,  at  length,  the  Esquimaux  retired  to  the  hill,  from  whence 
they  had  desceiiJed  when  lirst  seen.  We  proceeded  in  the  'lopc 
of  gaining  an  interview  witli  them,  but  lest  our  appearance  in  a 
body  should  alarm  them,  we  advanced  in  a  long  line,  at  the  head 
of  which  was  Augustus.  We  were  led  to  their  baggage,  which 
they  had  deserted,  by  the  howling  of  the  dogs ;  and  on  the  suniniit 
of  the  hill  we  found,  lying  behind  a  stone,  an  old  man,  who  was 
loo  intirm  to  eflbct  his  escape  with  the  rest.  He  was  much  terri- 
fied when  Augustus  advancctl,  and  probably  expected  inmiediate 
death  ;  but  that  the  fatal  blow  might  not  be  unrevenged,  he  seized 
liis  spear,  and  made  a  thrust  with  it  at  his  supposed  enemy.  Au 
gustus,  however,  easily  repressed  his  feeble  effort,  and  soon  cahii- 
ed  his  fears  by  presenting  him  with  some  pieces  of  iron,  and 
assuring  him  of  his  friendly  intentions.  Dr.  Richardson  and  1 
then  joined  them,  and,  after  rcoeivini;"  our  presents,  the  old  niai; 


OF    TllK    lM)l,Afl    sr  A. 


ol  J 


»vas  quite  composed,  and  became  communicalivc.  His  dialect 
(lillbred  from  that  used  by  Augustus,  but  they  understood  cacli 
oilier  tolerably  well. 

It  appeared  that  his  party  consisted  of  eight  men  and  their  ia- 
niilies,  who  were  returning  from  a  hunting  excursion  with  dried 
ineat.  After  being  told  who  we  were,  he  said,  that  he  had  heard 
of  white  people  from  different  parties  of  his  nation  which  resided 
on  the  sea-coast  to  the  eastward  ;  and  to  our  in(|iiiries  respecting 
the  provision  and  fuel  we  might  exj)cct  to  get  on  our  voyage,  he 
informed  us  that  the  rein-deer  frerjuent  the  coast  during  summer, 
the  iish  are  plentiful  at  the  mouths  of  the  rivers,  the  seals  are 
nbtiiulant,  but  there  are  no  sea-horses  nor  whales,  although  he  re- 
membered one  of  the  latter,  which  had  been  killed  by  some  dis- 
tant tribe,  iiaving  been  driven  on  shore  on  his  part  of  the  coast  by 
a  gale  of  wind.  That  musk  oxen  were  to  be  found  a  little  dis- 
tance up  the  rivc.s,  and  that  we  should  iind  drift  wood  along  the 
shore.  He  had  no  knowledge  of  the  coast  to  the  eastward  be- 
yond the  next  river,  which  he  called  Nappa-arktok-towock,  or 
Tree  River.  The  old  man,  contrary  to  the  Indian  practice,  asked 
each  of  oiu'  names ;  and,  in  reply  to  a  similar  question  on  our 
part,  said  his  was  Terregannoeuck,  or  the  White  Fox  ;  and  that  his 
tribe  denominated  themselves  Nagge-ook-tormocoot,  or  Deer  Horn 
Esquimaux.  They  usually  frequent  the  Bloody  Fall  during  this 
and  the  following  moons,  for  the  purpose  of  salting  salmon,  and 
then  retire  to  a  river  which  flows  into  the  sea,  a  short  way  to  the 
westward,  (since  denominated  Richardson's  River,)  and  pass  the 
winter  in  snow-houses. 

After  this  conversation  Terregannoeuck  proposed  going  down 
to  his  baggage,  and  we  then  perceived  he  was  too  infirm  to  walk 
without  the  assistance  of  sticks.  Augustus,  therefore,  offered  him 
his  arm,  which  he  readily  accepted,  and,  on  reaching  his  store,  he 
distributed  pieces  of  dried  meat  to  each  person,  which,  though 
highly  tainted,  were  immediately  eaten  ;  this  being  an  universal 
token  among  the  Indians  of  peaceable  intention. 

We  then  informed  him  of  our  desire  to  procure  as  much  meat 
i&  we  possibly  could,  and  he  told  us  that  he  had  a  ^arge  quantity 


31(i 


A    JOURNTY     10    THL    SICORKS 


iim 


conocalrcl  in  the  neinlihoiiiliood,  whicih  lie  would  call^e  lo  bo  car- 
ried to  us  when  his  peojjlc  relui-ncil. 

I  now  (•oninuuiicated  to  him  that  we  were  accompanied  by  sonu; 
Copper  Indians,  who  were  very  desirous  to  make  peace  with  hii 
nation,  and  thai  th(>v  had  requested  me  to  prevail  upon  the  Ksnui- 
mauv  to  receive  them  in  a  IViendly  manner;  to  which  he  replied. 
lie  should  n-joice  to  see  an  end  put  to  the  hostility  that  existed 
between  the  nations,  and,  th(!refore,  would  most  gl'it^'y  wclconic 
our  companions.  llavina;  despatched  Adam  to  inform  Akaitchu 
of  this  circumstance,  we  lel't  Terragannamck,  in  the  hope  that 
his  party  would  rejoin  him  ;  hut  as  we  had  doubts  whether  llio 
young  men  would  venture  upon  coming;  to  our  tents,  on  the  old 
man's  bare  rejiresentation,  we  sent  Au^nslus  and  Junius  back  in 
the  evening;,  to  remain  with  him  until  they  came,  that  they  niiglu 
fully  detail  to  them  our  intentions. 

The  countenance  of  Terreganncruck  was  oval,  with  asufilcicnt- 
ly  prominent  nose,  and  had  nothing  very  iliftcrent  from  an  Kmo- 
pean  face,  except  in  the  smallness  of  his  eyes,  and,  perhaps,  in 
the  narrowness  of  his  forehead.  His  complexion  was  very  fresh 
and  red,  and  he  had  a  longer  beard  than  I  have  hitherto  seen  on 
any  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  America.  It  was  between 
two  and  three  inches  long,  and  perfectly  white.  His  face  was  not 
tattoed.  His  dress  consisted  of  a  shirt,  or  jacket  with  a  hood, 
wide  breeches,  reaching  only  to  the  knee,  and  tight  loggins  ;.o\v- 
ed  to  the  shoes,  all  of  deers'  skins.  The  soles  of  the  shoes  were 
made  of  seal-skin,  and  stufl'ed  with  feathers  instead  of  socks.  He 
was  bent  with  age,  but  appeared  about  five  feet  ten  inches  high. 
His  hands  and  feet  were  small  in  proportion  to  his  height.  When- 
ever Terregannoeuck  received  a  present,  he  placed  each  article 
first  on  his  right  shoulder,  then  on  his  left ;  and  when  he  wished 
to  express  still  higher  satisfaction,  he  rubbed  it  over  his  head.  He 
held  hatchets,  and  other  iron  instruments,  in  the  highest  esteem. 
On  seeing  his  countenance  in  a  glass  for  the  first  time,  he  exclaim- 
ed, '•  1  shall  never  kill  deer  more,"  and  immediately  put  the  mir- 
ror down.  The  tribe  to  which  he  belongs  repair  to  the  sea  in 
spring,  and  kill  seals;  as  the  season  advances  they  hunt  deer  and 
musk  oxen  at  some  distance  from  the  coast.    Their  weapon  is  the 


OF    THE    POLAR    SKA. 


ni' 


how  and  arrow,  and  they  get  suflicicntly  near  to  tlie  deer,  cither 
by  crawlinjj;,  or  leading  these  animals  hy  ranges  of  turf  towards  a 
spot  where  the  archer  can  conceal  himself.  Tlieir  bows  are  form- 
ed of  three  pieces  of  fn-,  the  centre  piece  alone  hent,  the  other 
two  lying  in  the  same  straight  line  with  llic  bowstring;  the  pieces 
arc  neatly  tied  together  with  sinew.  Their  canoes  are  similar  to 
those  we  saw  in  Hudson's  Straits,  hnt  smaller.  Thoy  get  fish 
constantly  in  the  rivers,  and  in  the  sea  as  soon  as  the  ice  bre:iks 
lip.  This  tribe  does  not  make  use  of  nets,  but  the)'  are  tolerably 
successful  with  the  hook  and  line.  Their  cooking  utensils  arc 
made  of  pot-stone,  and  they  form  very  nei.t  dishes  of  (ir,  the  sides 
being  made  of  thin  deal  bent  into  an  oval  form,  securer!  at  the 
cutis  by  sewing,  and  fitted  so  nicely  to  the  bottom  as  to  be  per- 
I*  fectly  water  tight.  They  have  also  large  spoons  made  of  the  horns 
of  the  musk  oxen. 

Akaitcho  and  the  Indians  arrived  at  our  tents  in  the  evening, 
and  we  learned  that  they  had  seen  the  Esquimaux  the  day  before, 
and  endeavoured,  without  success,  to  open  a  communication  with 
them.  They  exhibited  no  hostile  intention,  but  were  afraid  to 
come  near.  Akaitcho,  keeping  out  of  their  sight,  followed  thcui 
at  a  distance,  expecting  that  ultimately  fmding  themselves  enclos- 
ed between  our  party  and  his,  they  would  be  compelled  to  come 
to  a  parley  with  one  of  us.  Akaitcho  had  seen  Terregannocuck 
soon  after  our  departure  ;  he  was  much  terrified  at  their  approach, 
and  thrust  his  spear  at  Akaitcho  as  he  had  done  at  Augustus ;  but 
he  was  soon  reconciled  after  the  demonstrations  of  kindness  the 
Indians  made,  in  cutting  off  the  butt.ons  from  their  dress  to  pre- 
sent to  him. 

July  17. — ^We  waited  all  this  forenoon  in  momentary  expecta- 
tion of  the  return  of  Augustus  and  Junius,  but  as  they  did  not  ap- 
pear at  two  P.M.,  I  sent  Mr.  Hood,  with  a  party  of  men,  to  in 
quire  into  the  cause  of  their  detention,  and  to  bring  the  meat  which 
Terregannocuck  had  promised  us.  He  returned  a^  midnight  with 
tlie  information,  that  none  of  the  Esquimaux  had  yet  ventured  to 
come  near  Terregannoeuck  except  his  aged  wife,  who  had  con- 
cealed herself  amongst  the  rocks  at  our  first  interview ;  and  she 
told  him  the  rest  of  the  party  had  gone  to  a  river,  a  short  distance 


41 


llvS 


A     .lOUUNF.Y      ro    IMR    SHORl.f, 


t    ,'     --v.; 


to  the  westward,  where  there  was  another  party  ot  Ksqmmaux 
lishinff.  Augustus  and  Junius  had  erected  the  tent,  and  done 
every  thing  in  their  power  to  make  llie  ohl  man  oonifortahle  in 
their  absence.  Terrcganncruck  being  unable  to  walk  to  the  pjacc 
where  the  meat  was  concealed,  readily  pointed  the  spot  uut  to 
Mr.  Hood,  who  went  thither;  but  after  experiencing  much  diU'i. 
culty  in  getting  at  the  column  of  rock  on  which  it  was  deposited 
he  found  the  meat  too  putrid  lor  our  use.  The  features  of  Terrc- 
gannanick's  wife  were  remarkable  for  roundness  and  flatness;  bur 
face  was  much  tattoed,  her  dress  dilfered  little  from  the  old  man's. 

In  the  afternoon  a  party  of  nine  Esquimaux  appeared  on  tlu; 
cast  bank  of  the  river,  about  a  mile  below  our  encampment,  car- 
rying their  canoes  and  baggage  on  their  backs ;  but  they  lurncil 
and  fled  as  soon  as  they  perceived  our  tents.  The  appear-  ,icc  of 
so  many  diflcrent  bands  of  P^squimaux  territicd  the  Indu,  to 
such  a  degree,  that  they  determined  on  leaving  us  the  next  day, 
lest  they  should  be  surrounded,  and  their  retreat  cut  olT.  I  en- 
deavoured, by  the  ofler  of  any  renuineration  they  would  choose, 
to  prevail  upon  one  or  two  of  the  hunters  to  proceed,  but  in  vain; 
and  1  had  much  difliculty  even  in  obtaining  their  promise  to  wait 
at  the  Copper  Mountains  for  Mr.  Wentzel  and  the  four  njen,  whom 
I  intended  to  discharge  at  the  sea. 

The  fears  which  our  interpreters,  St.  flermain  and  Adam,  en- 
tertained respecting  the  voyage,  were  now  greatly  increased,  and 
both  of  them  came  this  evening  to  request  their  discharges,  urging 
that  their  services  could  be  no  longer  requisite,  as  the  Indians 
were  going  from  us.  St.  Germain  even  said  that  he  ha.i  under- 
stood he  was  only  engaged  to  accompany  us  as  long  as  the  Indians 
did,  and  persisted  in  this  falsehood  until  his  agreement  to  go  with 
lis  throughout  the  voyage  had  been  twice  read  to  him.  As  these 
were  the  only  two  of  the  party  on  whose  skill  in  hunting  we  could 
rely,  I  was  unable  to  listen  for  a  moment  to  their  desire  of  quit- 
ting us,  and  lest  they  should  leave  us  by  stealth,  their  motions 
were  strictly  watched.  This  was  not  an  unnecessary  precaution, 
as  I  was  informed  that  they  had  actually  laid  a  plan  for  eloping; 
but  the  resL  of  the  men  knowing  that  their  own  safety  would 


of   THE    POLAR    SF.A. 


nif) 


have  been  compromised  had  they  succeeded,  kept  a  watchfid  eye 
over  them.  We  knew  that  the  dread  of  the  Esquimaux  would 
prevent  these  men  from  leavinc;  us  as  soon  as  the  Indians  were  at 
a  disUmce,  and  we  trusted  to  their  becoming  reconciled  to  the 
journey  when  once  the  novelty  of  a  sea  voyage  had  worn  off. 

July  IS. — As  the  Indians  persevered  in  their  determination  of 
selling  out  this  morning,  I  reminded  them,  through  Mr.  Wentzcl 
iiitl  St.  Germain,  of  the  necessity  of  our  having  the  deposit  of 
provision  made  at  Fort  Knterprize,  and  received  a  renewed 
assurance  of  their  attending  to  tiiat  point.  They  were  also  de- 
sired to  put  as  much  meat  as  they  could  en  cache  on  the  banks 
of  the  Copper-Mine  River  on  their  return.  We  then  furnished 
them  with  as  much  ammunition  as  we  could  spare,  and  they  took 
their  departure,  promising  to  wait  three  days  for  Mr.  Wentzel  at 
the  Copper  Mountains.  We  afterwards  learned  that  their  fears 
(lid  not  permit  them  to  do  so,  and  that  Mr.  Wentzel  did  not  re- 
join them  until  they  were  a  day's  march  to  the  southward  of  the 
mountains. 

We  embarked  at  five  A.M.  and  proceeded  towards  the  sea, 
which  is  about  nine  miles  distant  from  the  Bloody  Full.  After 
passing  a  few  rapids,  the  river  became  wider,  and  more  naviga 
ble  for  canoes,  flowing  between  banks  of  alluvial  sand.  We  en- 
camped at  ten  on  the  western  bank  at  its  junction  with  the  sea. 
The  river  is  here  about  a  mile  wide,  but  very  shallow,  being 
barred  nearly  across  by  sand-banks,  which  run  out  from  the  main 
land  on  each  side  to  a  low  alluvial  island  that  lies  in  the  centre, 
and  forms  two  channels ;  of  these  the  vvestermost  only  is  naviga 
ble  even  for  canoes,  the  other  being  obstructed  by  a  stony  bar. 
The  islands  to  seaward  are  high  and  numerous,  and  fill  the  horizon 
in  many  points  of  the  compass ;  the  only  open  space,  seen  from 
an  eminence  near  the  encampment,  being  from  N.bE,  to  N.E.bN. 
Towards  the  east  the  land  was  like  a  chain  of  islands,  the  ice  sur- 
rounded the  islands  apparently  in  a  compact  body,  leaving  a  chan- 
nel between  its  edge  and  the  main  of  about  throe  miles.  The 
water  in  this  channel  was  of  a  clear  green  colour,  and  decidedly 
n\{.     Mr.  Hearnc  could  have  onlv  tasted  it  at  i!ip  uunith  of  \\\k 


w 


:y-'' 


8tO 


A    JOURNKV    'lO    'IHi:    flHO.<l,;i 


m 


liver,  when  lie  proiiuunced  it  lo  be  merely  biaclus.li.     A  riso  and 
fall  oi'  lour  inches  in  the  water  was  ob?>erve<l.  'I'hu  shore  isi  >ln  \vt  i| 
wilh  a  ('.oiibicierable  (|uantily  of  tirifl  timber,  which  is  princiiiallv 
of  the  wood  oi  \hv.  jm /rit/us  Imlsmnifcniy  hut  none  ol   it  ol  .  rmi 
si/e.     We  also  picUeil  up  some  decayed  wood  faroul  ol  ilio  icacli 
of  the  water.     A  tew  stunted  willows  were  jfrowinj;  near  ilic  t'li- 
campmenl.     Some  ducks,  j;uils,  and  parlridji;es  were  seen  lo-iiuy. 
As  1   had  to  make  up  despatches  lor   tiiif^land  to  be  sent  !>>  Mp. 
VV'entzel,  the  nets  were  set  in  the  interim,  and  we  were  njoHxil 
to  fmd  that  they  j)roduced  a  sulliciency  ot  tish  to  suj)j)ly  die  |).irly. 
The  tish  caupjht  were,  the  Coj)per-Mine  liiver  salmon,  wiiHf  IinIi. 
and  two  species  of  ijleuronecle;?.     Wu  felt  a  consideral)le  cliiiiinc 
of  teniperature  on  reachinj^  the  sea-coast,  produced  by  the  winds 
changinu;  iVom  the  southward  to  the  N.VV.  Our  Canatliiui  voyajrers 
complained  much  of  the  cold,  but  they  were  amusetl  with  their  liist 
view  of  the  sea,  and  particularly  with  the  sight  of  the  seals  that 
were  swimming  about  near  the  entrance  of  the  river,  buttlleM;^en• 
sations  gave  j)lace  to  desponden(;y  betbre  the  evening  hadelajw 
They  were  terrified  at  the  idea  of  a  voyage  through  an  icy  so; 
bark  canoes.     They  sjjeculaleil  on  the  length  of  the  jouriicy,  llu' 
roughness  of  the  sea,  the  uncertainty  of  j)rovisions,  the  exposure 
to  cold  where  we  could  expect  no  fuel,  and  the  prospect  ol"  iiaving 
to  traverse  the  barren  grounds  to  get  to  some  establishment.    I'ho 
two  interpreters  cxpiessed  their  ap|)rehensions  with  the  least  dis- 
guise, and  again  urgently  applied  to  be  discharged  ;  but  only  one 
of  the  Canadians  made  a  similar  request.     Judging  that  the  con- 
slant  occupation  of  their  time  as  soon  as  we  were  enabled  tocoin- 
nicnce  the  voyage,  would  prevent  them  from  conjuring  up  so 
many  causes  of  fear,  and  that  familiarity  with  the  scenes  on  the 
coast,  would  in  a  short  time  enable  them  to  give  scope  to  their 
natural  cheerfulness,  the  officers  endeavoured  lo  ridicule  tlieir  fears, 
and  happily  succeeded  for  the  present.     The  manner  in  wllich 
our  faithful  Hepburn  viewed  the  element  that  he  had  been  solonij 
accustomed  to,  contributed  not  a  little  to  make  them  ashamed  ot 
their  fears. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th  Dr.  Richardson,  accompanied  by 
Augustus,  paid  another  visit  to  Terreganuoeuck,  to  see  if  lie  could 


UV    TIIK    VOLAR    sf.A 


:)Sl 


,,i)tain  any  additional  information  rpsjKM'tiufr  thn  country  to  the 
oasUvard  ;  hut  In;  was  disappointed  at  lindins;  that  his  allVij^hted 
I'liTiily  had  not  yet  rejoin<;d  him,  and  the  old  man  cm\U\  add  no- 
tliiii;;  to  his  former  ronimnnicalion.  The  Doctor  rcmnrlv(;<l  that 
IVnt'^annoMick  had  a  <i;reat  (hslike  to  mtMitionini:;  the  name  of  the 
('op|)cr-Mine  Uiver,  and  that  h(;  evaded  the  (picstion  with  much 
ilcxtcrlty  as  often  as  it  was  put  to  him  ;  hut  that  he  willinj^ly  tohi 
ihc  name  of  a  iiv<M*  to  the  eastward,  and  also  of  iiis tribe.  Ho  at- 
icmptcd  to  persiKuU;  Augustus  to  nim.iin  with  him,  and  oHereil 
him  one  of  his  dant^hters  for  a  wife.  Tliese  Ksquimaux  strike 
lire  with  two  atones,  catching  the  sparks  in  the  down  of  the  cat- 
kins of  a  willow. 

The  despatches  heinc;  finished  were  delivered  this  eveiiinp;  to 
Mr.  Went'/el,  who  parted  from  us  at  eiyrh  1*.M.  with  Parent, 
Ga^nier,  Dumas,  and  Forcicr,  Canadians,  whom  I  had  discharg- 
ed for  the  pupose  of  reducing;  our  expenditure  of  provision  as  much 
,\s possible.  The  remainder  of  the  |)arty,  including  oiiicers,  anu»i'.nt- 
c(l  to  twenty  j)ersons,  I  made  Mr.  ^V'cntzel  acquniutod  will;  the 
probable  course  of  oiu'  future  proceedings,  and  nienlioiicd  to  him 
that  if  we  were  far  distant  iVom  this  river,  when  the  sfiason  or 
other  circumstatu'.«^s  rendered  it  nece:>sary  to  put  a  stop  to  0(U' ad- 
vance, we  should,  in  all  probability,  be  unable  to  return  to  it,  and 
should  have  to  tr 'V^el  across  the  barren  grounds  to\vir<!s  some  es- 
tablished post ;  in  which  case  I  told  him  that  we  should  cc  rtiiiuly 
2;o  fust  to  Fort  Knterpri/.c,  expecting  that  he  would  cause  the  In- 
ilian.s  to  place  a  supply  of  dried  jirovision  there,  as  soon  as  po-si- 
ble  alter  their  arrival  in  'ts  vicinity.  JVly  instruct  ions  to  him  were, 
that  he  should  proceed  to  Point  Ivake,  transport  the  canoo  that 
was  left  there  to  Fort  P^nterprize,  where  he  was  to  embark  the 
instruments  and  books,  and  carry  them  to  Slave  Lake,  and  to  for- 
ward the  box  containing  the  journals,  &c.,  with  the  present  des- 
patches by  the  next  winter  packet  to  England.  But  before  he 
quitted  Fort  Enter[)rize,  he  was  to  be  assured  of  the  intention  of 
the  Indians  to  lay  up  the  provision  we  required,  and  if  they  should 
be  in  want  of  ammunition  for  that  purpose,  to  procure  it  if  possi- 
ble from  Fort  Providence,  or  the  other  forts  in  Slave  Lake,  and 
iind  it  immediately  to  them  by  the  hunters  who  accompanied  him 

Ss 


322 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


thither.     I  also  requested  him  to  ascertain  from  Akaitcho  and  the 
other  leading  Indians,  where  their  different  parties  would  be  hunt- 
ing in  the  months  of  September  and  October,  and  to  leave  this 
information  in  a  letter  at  Fort  Enterprize,  for  our  guidance  in 
finding  them,  as  we  should  require  their  assistance.     Mr  Went- 
zel  was  furnished  with  a  list  of  the  stores  that  had  been  promised 
to  Akaitcho  and  his  part^  as  a  remuneration  for  their  services,  as 
well  as  with  an  official  request  to  the  North-West  Company  that 
these  goods  might  be  paid  to  them  on  their  next  visit  to  Fort  Pro- 
vidence, which  they  expected  to  make  in  the  latter  part  of  No- 
vember. I  desired  him  to  mention  this  circumstance  to  the  Indian? 
as  an  encouragement  to  their  exertion  in  our  behalf,  and  to  pro- 
mise them  an  additional  reward  for  the  supply  of  provision  thcv 
should  collect  at  Fort  Enterprize. 

If  Mr.  Wentzel  met  ♦',ie  Hook,  or  any  of  his  party,  he  was  in- 
structed to  assure  them  Ihat  he  was  provided  with  the  necessary 
dor'.'mcLts  to  get  them  payment  for  any  meat  they  should  \n\.cn 
cache  for  our  use;  and  to  acquaint  them,  that  we  fully  relied  on 
their  fulfilling  every  part  of  the  agreement  they  had  made  with  us. 
Whenever  the  Indians,  whom  ho  was  to  join  at  tlie  Copper  Moun- 
tains, killed  any  animals  on  their  way  to  Fort  Enterprize,  he  was 
requested  to  put  en  cache  whatever  meat  could  be  spared,  placing 
conspicuous  marks  to  guide  us  to  them ;  and  I  particularly  begged 
he  would  employ  them  in  hunting  in  our  service,  immediately 
after  his  arrival  at  the  house. 

When  Mr.  Wentzel's  party  had  been  suppH^d  with  ammuni- 
tion, our  remaining  stock  consisted  of  one  thousand  balls,  and  a 
little  more  than  the  requsite  proportioiY  of  posvder,  A  bag  of 
small  shot  was  missing,  aiid  we  afterwards  discovered  that  the 
Canadians  had  secreted  and  distributed  it  among  themselves,  in 
order  that  when  provision  should  become  scarce,  they  might  pri- 
vately procure  ducks  and  geese,  and  avoid  the  necessity  of  shar- 
ing them  with  the  officers. 

The  situation  of  our  encampment  was  ascertained  to  be,  latitude 
67°  47'  50"  N.,  longitude  115°  36'  49"  W.,  the  variation  of  the 
compass  4C°  25'  52"  E.,  and  dip  of  the  needle  88"  5'  07". 

It  will  be  perceived,  that  the  position  of  the  mouth  of  the  rivei', 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


323 


(riven  by  our  observations,  ditiers  widely  from  that  assigned  to  it 
by  Mr.  Hearne ;  but  the  accuracy  of  his  description  conjoined 
with  Indian  information,  assured  us  that  we  were  at  the  very  part 
he  visited.  I  have,  therefore,  named  the  most  conspicuous  cape 
we  then  saw  "  Cape  Hearne,"  as  a  just  tribute  to  the  memory  of 
that  perseverino;  traveller.  I  have  distinguished  another  cape  by 
the  name  of  Mackenzie,  in  honour  of  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie, 
the  only  other  European*  who  had  before  reached  the  Northern 
Ocean.  I  have  called  the  river  which  falls  into  the  sea,  to  the 
westward  of  the  Copper-Mine,  Richardson,  as  a  testimony  of  sin- 
cere regard  for  my  friend  and  companion.  Dr.  Richardson ;  and 
have  named  the  islands,  which  are  in  view  from  our  encampment, 
"Couper's  Isles,"  in  honouv  of  a  friend  of  his.  The  sun  set  this 
ni£;ht  at  thirty  minutes  after  eleven,  apparent  time. 

The  travell  ng  distance  from  Fort  Enterprize  to  the  north  of  the 
Copper-Mine  River,  is  about  three  hundred  and  thirty-four  miles. 
The  canoes  and  baggage  were  dragged  over  snow  and  ice  for  one 
hundred  and  seventeen  miles  of  this  distance. 


Captain  Parry's  success  was  at  this  time  ur  ..nown  to  ys. 


\" 


if 


11 


« 


I 


J 


334 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORt? 


CHAPTER  XI. 


if    i  ill-'  .'/I 


Navigation  of  the  Polar  Sea,  in  two  Canoes,  as  far  as  Cape  Turnagaiii,  to  ths 
Eastward,  a  distance  exceeding  Five  Hundred  and  Fifty  Miles — Obsenations 
on  the  probability  of  a  North-West  Passage. 

1821.   T\r 
July  20.    VV  E  intended  to  have  embarked  early  this  niorniuii;,  atitl 

to  have  launched  upon  an  element,  which  was  more  congenial 
with  our  habits  than  the  fresh-water  navigations,  and  their  nume- 
rous difficulties  and  impediments  we  had  hitherto  encountered, 
but  which  was  altogether  new  to  our  Canadian  voyagers.  Wi 
were  detained,  however,  by  a  strong  north-east  gale,  which  con- 
tinued the  whole  day,  with  constant  thunder  showers ;  the  moif 
provoking  as  our  nets  procured  but  few  fish,  and  we  had  to  draw 
upon  our  store  of  dried  meat ;  which,  with  other  provision  fui 
the  journey,  amounted  only  to  fifteen  days'  consumption.  Indeed, 
we  should  have  preferred  going  dinnerless  to  bed  rather  than  en- 
croach on  our  small  stock,  had  we  not  been  desirous  of  satisfyina, 
the  appetites,  and  cheering  the  spirits,  of  our  Canadian  compa- 
nions at  the  commencement  of  our  voyage.  These  thoughtless 
people  would,  at  an}'  time,  incur  the  hazard  of  absolute  starva- 
tion, al  a  fiiturc  j)eriod,  for  the  present  gratification  of  their  ap- 
petites; to  indulge  which  they  do  not  hesitate,  as  we  more  than 
once  experienced,  helping  themselves  secretly  ;  it  being,  in  theii 
opinion,  no  disgrace  to  be  caught  in  the  act  of  pilfering  food. 

Our  only  luxuiy  now  was  a  little  salt,  wiiich  had  long  been  oui 
sidjstitute  both  for  bread  and  vegetables.  Since  our  departun 
from  Point  Lake  we  had  boiled  the  Indian  tea  plant,  ledum  pa- 
lustre,  which  produced  a  beverage  in  smell  much  resembling  rliii- 
barb  ;  notwithstanding  which  we  found  it  refreshing,  and  wen 
gratified  to  see  this  plant  flourishing  abundantly,  though  of  dwart 
ish  growth,  on  the  sea  shore. 


OF  THE  POLAR-SEA. 


325 


July  21. — The  vviiul,  which  had  hlown  strong  through  the 
njirht,  !)ecame  moderate  in  the  morning,  but  a  dense  log  pre- 
vented us  from  embarking  until  noon,  when  we  commenced  our 
voyage  on  the  Hyperborean  Sea.  Soon  afterwards  we  landed  on 
an  island  where  the  Esquimaux  had  erected  a  stage  of  drift  tim- 
ber, and  stored  up  many  of  their  fishing  implements  and  winter 
sledges,  together  with  a  great  many  diessed  seal,  musk  ox,  and 
(leer  skins.  Their  spears  licaded  with  bone,  and  many  small  ar- 
ticles of  the  same  material,  were  worked  with  extreme  neatness, 
as  well  .IS  their  wooden  dishes,  and  cooking  utensils  of  stone ; 
jiid  several  articles  very  elegantly  formed  of  bone,  were  evidently 
iitended  for  some  game,  but  Augustus  was  unacquainted  with 
their  use.  We  took  from  this  deposit  four  seal-skins  to  repair 
our  shoes,  and  left  in  exchange  a  copper-kettle,  and  some  awls 
and  beads. 

We  paddled  all  day  along  the  coast  to  the  eastward,  on  the  in- 
side of  a  crowded  range  of  islands,  and  saw  very  little  ice ;  the 
"blink"  of  it,  however,  was  visible  to  the  northward,  and  one 
small  iceberg  was  seen  at  a  distance.  A  tide  was  distinguishable 
among  the  islands  by  the  foam  floating  on  the  water,  but  we 
could  not  ascerlain  its  direction.  In  the  afternoon  St.  Germain 
killed,  on  an  island,  a  fat  deer,  which  was  a  great  acquisition 
to  us ;  it  was  the  first  we  had  seen  for  some  mon<'  in  good  con- 
dition. 

Having  encamped  on  the  main  s])ore,  after  a  run  of  thirty- 
«cven  miles,  wc  set  up  a  pole  to  ascertain  the  rise  and  fall  ol  the 
water,  which  was  repeated  at  every  iialting-place,  and  Hepburn 
was  ordered  to  attenfl  to  the  result.  We  Ibund  the  coast  well  co- 
vered with  vegetation,  of  moderate  height,  even  in  its  outline, 
and  easy  of  approach.  Tlie  islands  are  rocky  and  barren,  present- 
ing high  dills  of  a  colunmar  structure.  1  have  named  the  west- 
ernmost group  of  those  we  passed  "  Berens'  Isles,"  in  honour  of 
the  Governor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  ;  and  the  eastern- 
most, "Sir  Graham  Moore's  Islands."  At  tlie  spot  vvHierc  we 
landed  some  muscle-shells  and  a  single  piece  of  sca-vvccd  lay  on 
tlie  beach ;  this  was  the  only  spot  on  the  coast  where  we  saw 


326 


A    .lOURNI'.Y    TO    THE    SIIORKS 


f  v.*  -J  tJ'.'SJ  if'*' 


sliells.     We  were  rcjoioetl  to  fiiul  the  beach  strewed  with  abun- 
dance of  small  tiri It-wood,  none  of  it  recent. 

It  may  be  remarked  tlial  the  Copper-Mine  Hiver  docs  not  brini: 
down  any  thill-wood  ;  nor  iloes  any  other  known  stream,  cxcc'i)t 
Mackenzie's  River;  hence,  from  its  appearance  on  this  part  ol 
tlie  coast,  an  easterly  current  n)ay  be;  inferred.  Tliis  «  vcnin"-  we 
were  all  in  high  i;;lee  at  the  prof;ress  we  had  made  ;  tiie  disap- 
pearance of  tiio  ice,  and  the  continuance  of  the  land  in  an  caslcrn 
direction,  and  our  hiture  prospects  formed  an  enlivenins;  subject 
of  conversation.  The  thermometer  varied  during  the  day  be- 
tween 13^  and  15°.  The  fishing  nets  were  set,  but  produced 
nothing. 

On  the  22d  we  end)arkcd  at  four  A.M.,  and  having  the  boncfii 
of  a  light  breeze  continued  our  voyage  along  the  coast,  under  sail 
until  eleven,  when  we  halted  to  breakfast,  and  to  obtain  the  lati- 
tude. The  coast  up  to  this  point  presented  the  same  grnoral  aji- 
pcarancc  as  yesterday,  namely,  a  gravelly  or  sandy  beach,  skirled 
by  green  plains ;  but  as  we  proceeded,  the  shore  became  exceed- 
ingly rocky  and  sterile  ;  and,  at  last,  projecting  considerahb'  to 
the  northward,  it  formed  a  high  and  stce|i  promontoi'y.  Some 
ice  had  drifted  down  upon  this  cape,  which  we  feared,  niii^ht 
check  our  progress ;  but,  as  the  evening  was  fine,  we  ventured 
upon  pushing  the  canoes  through  the  small  channels  formed  amon^ 
It.  After  pursuing  this  kind  of  navigation,  with  some  danger  and 
more  anxiety,  we  landed  and  encamped  on  a  smooth  rocky  point: 
from  whence  we  perceived,  with  much  satisfaction,  that  the  ico 
consisted  only  of  detached  pieces,  which  would  be  removed  by 
the  first  breeze.  We  sounded  in  seventeen  fathoms,  close  to  thd 
shore,  this  day.  The  least  depth  ascertained  by  the  lead,  since 
our  departure  from  the  river,  was  six  I'alhonis  •,  and  it  maybe 
remarked,  that  any  ship  might  pass  safely  between  the  island^ 
and  the  main.  The  water  is  of  a  light  green  colour,  but  not  verv 
clear ;  and  it  is  much  less  salt  than  that  of  the  Atlantic,  judging 
from  oar  recollection  of  its  taste.  In  the  course  of  the  day  we 
saw  geese  anil  ducks  with  their  young,  and  two  deer ;  and  expe- 
rienced very  great  variations  of  temper  iture,  from  the  light 
breezes  blowing  alternately  from  the  ice  and  the   land.    Thf 


««^ 


OF    Tilt:    POLAR    SEA.  ^  327 

;,niiic  of  "  Lawford's  hlands'^  was  bestowed  on  a  group  we  pass- 
(d  in  the  coui'su  of  the  day,  as  a  mark  of  my  respect  for  Vice- 
\iliiiiral  Lavv/brd,  under  vvliose  auspices  I  first  entered  the  naval 
service. 

^\  fresh  breeze  blow  inn;  throufi;h  the  ni<>;ht  had  driven  the  ico 
from  llie  land,  an<l  ojjened  a  ch?nnel  of  a  mile  in  width;  we  Ihere- 
forc  embarked  at  nine  A.M.  to  pursue  our  journey  aloni:;  the  coast, 
but  at  the  distance  of  nine  miles  were  oblij^ed  to  seek  shelter  in 
Port  Kpworth,  the  wind  having;  become  adverse,  and  too  strong 
tondmit  of  our  proceeding.  The  Tree  River  of  tlie  Ksfjuimaux, 
which  discharg(;s  its  waters  into  this  b.iy,  aj)pcars  to  be  narrow, 
and  much  interrupted  by  rapids.  The  fishing-nets  were  set,  but 
they  obtained  oidy  one  white  lish  and  a  few  bull-heads.  This 
part  of  the  coast  is  the  most  sterile  and  inhospitable  that  can  be 
imat^ined.  One  trap  clilf  succeeds  another  with  a  tiresome  uni- 
formity, and  their  debris  cover  the  narrow  valleys  that  intervene, 
!o  the  exclusion  of  every  kind  of  herbage.  From  the  summit  of 
these  clifVs  the  ice  appeared  in  every  direction. 

VVc  obtained  the  following  observations  during  our  stay ;  lati- 
tude ()7°42'  15"  N.,  longitude  112:  .'^0'  00"  W.,  variation  47° 
17'  42"  E. 

The  wind  abating,  at  eight  P.M.  we  re-embarked,  and  soon 
afterwards  discovered,  on  an  island,  a  rein-deer,  which  the  inter- 
preters fortunately  killed.  Resuming  our  voyage  wc  were  much 
impeded  by  the  ice,  and,  at  length,  being  unable  to  force  a  pas- 
sage through  a  close  stream  that  had  collected  round  a  cape,  we 
put  ashore  at  four  A.M.  On  the  24th,  several  stone  fox-traps,  and 
other  traces  of  the  Esquimaux,  were  seen  near  to  the  encampment. 
The  horizontal  refraction  varied  so  much  this  morning,  that  th»» 
upper  limb  of  the  sun  twice  appeared  at  the  horizon  before  it  finally 
rose. 

For  the  last  two  days  the  water  rose  and  fell  about  nino 
inches.  The  tides,  however,  seemed  to  be  very  irregular,  and 
we  could  not  determine  the  direction  of  the  ebb  or  flood.  A  cur- 
rent setting  to  the  eastward  was  running  about  two  miles  an  hour 
during  our  stay.  The  ice  having  removed  a  short  distance  from 
'he  shore,  by  eleven  A.M.  we  embarked,  and  with  some  difiinulty 


i 


m 


.,  f 


-  yitiiiT 


f}K 


'"'I 

I: 


h   -' 


32S 


A    .lOURNET    TO    THE    SHORES 


rrii 


Ji 


vmM, 


elTectcd  a  passage;  then  making  a  traverse  across  Oray's  Bay  * 
we  paddled  uj)  under  the  eastern  shore  aj^ainst  a  strono;  wind 
The  interpreters  landed  here,  and  went  in  pursuit  of  a  deer  but 
had  no  success.  This  part  of  the  coast  is  indented  by  deon  bays, 
>vhich  arc  separated  by  peninsulas  formed  like  wedges,  slobinrr 
many  miles  into  the  sea,  and  joined  by  low  land  to  the  main  :  so 
that  often  mistaking  them  for  islands,  we  were  led  by  a  circuitous 
route  round  the  bays.  Clilfs  were  numerous  on  the  islands,  which 
were  all  of  the  trap  formation. 

At  seven,  a  thunder-storm  coming  on,  we  encamped  at  the 
mouth  of  a  river  about  eighty  yanls  wide,  and  set  four  nets. 
This  stream,  which  has  received  the  name  of  VVcrJzel,  after  oui 
late  companion,  discharges  a  coiisiderable  body  of  water.  Its 
banks  are  sandy  and  clothed  with  herbage.  The  Esq.  .inaux  had 
recently  piled  up  some  drift  timber  here.  A  few  duci  s,  ravens. 
and  snow  birds,  were  seen  to-day.  The  distance  we  made  was 
thirty-one  miles. 

Juli/  25. — We  had  constant  rain  with  thunder  durint^  the 
night.  The  'nets  furnished  only  three  salmon-trout.  We  attri- 
buted the  want  of  greater  success  to  the  entrance  of  some  seals 
into  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Embarking  at  six  A.M.  we  paddled 
against  a  cold  breeze,  until  the  spreading  of  a  thick  fog  caused  us 
to  land.  The  rocks  here  consisted  of  a  beautiful  mixture  of  red 
and  gray  granite,  traver&ed  from  north  to  south  by  veins  of  red 
felspar,  \^'hicb  were  crossed  in  various  directions  by  smaller  veins 
filled  nit!)  tjio  Slime  substance. 

At  iioon  the  uind  coming  from  a  favourable  quarter  tempted 
us  to  proceed,  although  the  fog  was  unabated.  We  kept  as  close 
as  we  could  to  the  main  shore,  but  having  to  cross  some  bays,  it 
became  a  matter  of  doubt  whether  we  had  not  left  the  main,  and 
were  running  along  an  island.  Just  as  we  were  endeavouring  to 
double  a  bold  cape,  the  fog  partially  cleared  away,  and  allowed 
us  an  imperfect  view  of  a  chain  of  islands  on  the  outside,  and  ot 

•  Named  after  Mr.  Gray,  principal  of  tlie  Belfast  Academy.  An  islaiiil 
which  lies  across  the  mouth  of  this  bay  bears  liie  name  of  our  Englisli  sailoi 
Hepburn.  '     '. 


"M 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


329 


much  heavy  ice  which  was  pressing  down  upon  us.  The  shore 
near  us  was  so  steep  and  rugged  that  no  landing  of  the  cargoes 
could  be  effected,  and  we  were  preserved  only  by  some  men 
jumping  on  the  rocks,  and  thrusting  the  ice  off  with  poles.  There 
was  no  alternative  but  to  continue  along  this  dreary  shore,  seek- 
ing a  channel  between  the  different  masses  of  ice  which  had  accu- 
mulated at  the  various  points.  In  this  operation  both  the  canoes 
were  in  imminent  danger  of  being  crushed  by  the  ice,  which  was 
now  tossed  about  b;  the  waves  that  the  gale  had  excited.  We 
effected  a  passage,  however,  and  keeping  close  to  the  shore, 
landed  at  the  entrance  of  Detention  Harbour  at  nine  P.M.,  having 
come  twenty-eight  miles.  An  old  Esquimaux  encampment  was 
traced  on  this  spot ;  and  an  ice  chisel,  a  copper  knife,  and  a 
small  iron  knife  were  found  under  the  turf.  I  have  named  this 
cape  after  Mr.  Barrow  of  the  Admiralty,  to  whose  exertions  are 
mainly  owing  the  discoveries  that  have  recently  been  made  in 
Arctic  geography.  An  openiii'j;  on  its  eastern  side  has  received 
the  appellation  of  Inman  Harbour,  after  my  friend  the  Professor 
at  the  Royal  Naval  College,  Portsmouth  ;  and  to  a  group  of  islands 
to  seaward  of  it,  we  gave  the  name  of  Jameson,  in  honour  of  the 
distinguished  Professor  of  Mineralogy  at  Edinburgh. 

We  had  much  wind  and  rain  during  the  night;  and  by  the 
morning  of  ihe  26th  a  great  deal  of  ice  had  drifted  into  the  inlet. 
We  embarked  at  four  and  attempted  to  force  a  passage,  when  the 
first  canoe  got  enclosed,  and  remained  for  some  time  in  a  very 
perilous  situation  :  the  pieces  of  ice,  crowded  together  by  the 
action  of  the  current  and  wind,  pressing  strongly  against  its 
feeble  sides.  A  partial  opening,  however,  occurring,  we  landed 
without  having  sustained  any  serious  injury.  Two  men  were 
then  sent  round  the  bay,  and  it  was  ascertained  that  instead  of 
having  entered  a  narrow  passage  between  an  island  and  the  main, 
we  were  at  the  mouth  of  a  harbour,  having  an  island  at  its  en- 
trance ;  and  that  it  was  necessary  to  return  by  the  way  we  came, 
and  get  round  a  point  to  the  northward.  This  was,  however, 
impracticable,  the  channel  being  blocked  up  by  drift  ice ;  and  we 
had  no  prospect  of  release  except  by  a  change  of  wind.  This  de- 
tention was  extremely  vexatious,  as  vve  were  losing  the  benefit  of 

T  t 


ill' 


V 


f'. 


330 


A    JOURNF.Y    TO    THE    SHORES 


«■!* 


a  fair  wind,  and  exppiiding  our  stock  of  provision.  In  the  after- 
noon the  weather  cleared  up,  and  several  men  went  hunting,  but 
they  were  unsuccessful.  During  the  day  Ihr;  ice  floated  hack- 
wards  and  forwards  in  the  harbour,  moved  by  currents,  not  rcu- 
lar  enoii,a;h  to  deserve  the  name  of  tide,  and  which  appeared  to 
be  governed  by  the  wind.  We  perceived  great  tyminution  by 
melting  in  the  pieces  near  us.  That  none  of  this  ice  survives  the 
summer  is  evident,  from  the  rapidity  of  its  decay ;  and  because  no 
ice  of  last  year's  formation  was  hanging  on  the  rocks.  Whether 
any  body  of  it  exists  at  a  distance  from  the  shore,  we  cannot  de- 
termine. 

The  land  around  Cape  Barrow,  and  to  Detention  Harbour,  con- 
sists of  steep  craggy  mountains  of  granite,  rising  so  abruptly  froni 
the  water's  edge,  as  to  admit  of  few  landing  places  even  for  a  canoe. 
The  higher  parts  attain  an  elevation  of  one  thousand  four  hundred 
or  one  thousand  five  hundred  feet ;  and  the  whole  is  entirely  des- 
titute of  vegetation. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  the  Ice  remained  stationary  at  the 
entrance,  we  went  to  the  bottom  of  the  harbour,  and  carried  the 
canoes  and  cargoes  about  a  mile  and  a  half  across  the  point  of 
land  that  forms  the  east  side  of  it ;  but  the  ice  was  not  more  favour- 
able there  for  our  advancement  than  at  the  place  we  had  left.  It 
consisted  of  small  pieces  closely  packed  together  by  the  wind  ex- 
tending along  the  shore,  but  leaving  a  clear  passage  beyond  the 
chain  of  islands  with  which  the  whole  of  this  coast  is  girt.  In- 
deed, when  we  started  we  had  little  hope  of  finding  a  passage ; 
and  the  principal  object  in  moving  was,  to  employ  the  men,  in 
order  to  prevent  their  reflecting  upon  and  discussing  the  dangers 
of  our  situation,  which  we  knew  they  were  too  apt  to  do  when 
leisure  permitted.  Our  observations  place  the  entrance  of  Deten- 
tion Harbour  in  latitude  67°  53'  45",  longitude  110°  41'  20"  W.. 
variation  40°  49'  34"  E.  It  is  a  secure  anchorage,  being  shelter- 
ed from  the  wind  in  every  direction ;  the  bottom  is  sandy. 

July  28. — As  the  ice  continued  in  the  same  state,  several  of  the 
men  were  sent  out  to  hunt ;  and  one  of  them  fired  no  less  than 
four  times  times  at  deer,  but  unfortunately  without  success.  It 
was  satisfactory,  however,  to  ascertain  that  the  country  was  noi 


OF  THE  POLAR  SKA. 


331 


jeslilulo  of  animals.  We  had  the  mortifipation  to  chscovcr  that 
uvo  of  the  hags  of  pcmmican,  which  was  our  principal  reliance, 
hail  become  mouldy  by  wet.  Our  beef  too  had  been  so  badly 
cured,  as  to  be  scarcely  eatable,  this  was  occasioned  by  our  hav- 
ing been  compelled,  through  haste,  to  dry  it  by  fire  instead  of  the 
sun.  It  was  not,  however,  the  quality  of  our  provision  that  gave 
us  uneitsiness,  but  its  diminution,  and  the  utter  incapacity  to  ob- 
tain any  addition.  Seals  were  the  only  animals  that  met  our  view 
at  this  place,  and  these  we  could  never  approach. 

Dr.  Richardson  discovered  near  the  beach  a  small  vein  of  ga- 
lena, traversing  gneiss  rocks,  and  the  people  collected  a  quantity 
of  it  in  the  hope  of  adding  to  our  stock  of  balls  ;  but  their  en- 
(leavourS  to  smelt  it,  were,  as  may  l)e  supposed,  ineffectual.  The 
drift  timber  on  this  part  of  the  coast  consists  of  pine  and  facca 
mahac,  {populus  balsamifera)  most  probably  from  Mackenzie's, 
or  some  other  river  to  the  eastward  of  the  Copper-Mine.  It  all 
appears  to  have  lain  long  in  the  water,  the  bark  being  com- 
pletely worn  off,  and  the  ends  of  the  pieces  rubbed  perfectly 
smooth.  There  was  a  sharp  frost  last  night,  which  formed  a 
pretty  thick  crust  of  ice  in  a  kettle  of  water  that  stood  in  the 
tents;  and  for  several  nights  past  thin  films  of  ice  have  been  form- 
ed on  the  salt  water  amongst  the  cakes  of  stream  ice.*  Notwith- 
standing this  state  of  temperature,  we  were  tormented  by  swarms 
of  musquitoes ;  we  had  persuaded  ourselves  that  these  pests 
could  not  sustain  the  cold  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  but  it  appears 
ihcy  haunt  every  part  of  this  country  in  defiance  of  climate.  Mr. 
Back  made  an  exc  -•'  ^  to  a  hill  at  seven  or  eight  miles  distance, 
and  from  its  sumni  le  perceived  the  ice  close  to  the  shore  as 
far  as  his  view  extended.  . 

On  the  morning  of  the  29th  the  party  attendee!  divine  service. 
About  noon  the  ice  appearing  less  compact,  we  embarked  to 
change  our  situation,  having  consumed  all  the  fuel  within  our 
reach.  The  wind  came  off  the  land  just  as  the  canoes  had  start- 
ed, and  we  determined  on  attempting  to  force  a  passage  along  the 
shore ;  in  which  we  fortunately  succeeded,  after  seven  hours'  la- 


w% 


m 


J   H      ft.* 


I  IL       0^ Lira   i       ■m 

"ill   |7.Ji|  1    Tt 


*  This  is  termed  bay  ice  by  tlie  Greenland-men. 


332 


A  .lOURNKY    TO  '1  H  K    SHOKF.S 


ft! 


hour  and  muoh  lia/:ml  to  our  iVnil  vossols.  Tlio  ice  lay  so  dosr 
that  the  crews  disem harked  on  it,  and  eflnolcd  a  passaije  hy  hcav- 
insj;  a2;anist  tlie  ])ieres  with  their  poles;  hut  in  condnctinp;  iln. 
canoes  thr()u_£i;h  the  narrow  channels  ihus  formed,  the  j^rcatosi 
care  was  requisite,  to  prevent  the  sharp  projectina;  points  IVoiu 
hreakinc;  the  hark.  They  I'ortunalely  receivcil  no  niaterial  iiiiiu y. 
thoui!;h  they  were  split  in  two  ))laccs. 

At  the  listanre  of  three  miles,  we  came  to  thp  entrance  oi'  a 
deep  hay,  whose  hottoin  v.as  fdled  hy  a  hody  of  ice  so  compact 
as  to  preclude  the  idea  of  a  passajije  through  it ;  whilst  at  the  samo 
time,  the  traverse  across  its  mouth  was  attended  with  much  dan- 
ger, from  the  approach  of  a  large  field  of  ice,  which  was  drivinir 
down  hefore  the  wind.  The  dread  of  further  detention,  however, 
prevented  us  from  hesitatinj.'; ;  and  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  land- 
ing in  an  hour  and  a  hall"  on  the  opposite  shore,  where  we  halted 
to  repair  the  canoes  and  to  dine.  I  have  named  this  hay  after  my 
frientl  JVIr.  Daniel  Moore  of  Lincoln's  Inn  ;  to  whose  zeal  for 
science,  the  Expedition  was  in<lohtetl  for  the  use  of  a  most  valu- 
ahle  chronometer.  Its  shores  are  ])icturesque ;  sloping  hills  re- 
ceding from  the  heach,  and  clothed  with  verdure,  hound  its  bot- 
tom and  western  side;  and  lol'fy  cliHs  of  slate  clay,  with  their  in- 
tervening grassy  valleys,  skirt  its  eastern  horder.  Emhurking  at 
midnight,  we  pursued  our  voyage  without  interruption,  passing 
hetween  the  Stockport  and  Marcet  Islands  and  the  main,  until  six 
A.M.  on  July  .SOth ;  when  having  rounded  Point  Kater,  we  en- 
tered Arctic  Sound,  and  were  again  involved  in  a  stream  of  ice,  but 
after  considerahlo  delay  extricated  ourselves,  and  proceeded  to- 
wards the  hottom  of  the  inlet  in  search  of  the  mouth  of  a  river, 
which  we  suj)posed  it  to  receive,  from  the  change  in  the  colour 
of  the  water. 

About  ten  A.M.  we  landed,  to  breakfast  on  a  small  deer  which 
St,  Germain  had  killed  ;  and  sent  men  in  pursuit  of  some  others 
in  sight,  hut  with  which  they  did  not  come  up.  Re-embarking, 
we  passed  the  river  without  perceiving  it,  and  entered  a  deep 
arm  ol  the  sound  ;  which  I  have  named  Baillie's  Cove,  in  honour 
of  a  relative  of  the  lamented  Mr.  Hood.  As  it  was  too  late  to 
return,  we  encamped,  and  by  walking  across  the  country,  discover- 


or  THE  I'OT.AR   SKA. 


33:i 


(.'(1  the  river,  vvliose  month  hcinj;  barred  by  low  s;in«ly  islands 
and  banks,  was  not  perceived  wbcn  we  passed  it.  Coinsc  and 
distance  from  Galena  Point  to  this  cncan)pment,  were  S.E.?S. — 
forty-one  miles. 

From  the  accoimts  of  Black-meat  and  Boilcau  at  Fort  Chipcw- 
van,  we  considered  this  river  to  be  the  Anatcssv  •.  and  Capo  Bar- 
row to  be  the  jirojcction  which  they  supposed  to  be  the  N.E.  ter- 
mination of  America.  The  outline  of  the  coast,  indeed,  bears 
some  resemblance  to  the  chart  they  sketched  ;  and  the  distance  of 
this  river  from  the  Copper-Mine,  nearly  coincides  with  what  we 
istimated  the  Anatessy  to  bo,  from  their  statements.  In  our  sub- 
sL'(iiient  journey,  however,  across  the  barren  j^rounds,  we  asccr- 
lained  that  this  conjecture  was  wronj;,  and  tiiat  the  Anatessy, 
which  is  known  to  come  from  Rum  Lake,  must  fall  into  the  sea 
to  the  eastward  of  this  place. 

Our  stock  of  provision  beitifij  now  reduced  to  eight  days'  con- 
sumption, it  iiad  become  a  matter  of  the  first  importance  to  ob- 
tain a  supply ;  and  as  we  had  learned  from  Tcrroganno'uck  that 
the  Esquimaux  frequent  the  rivers  at  this  season.  I  determined  on 
scekinj;  a  communication  with  them  here,  with  the  view  of  ob- 
taining relief  for  our  present  wants,  or  even  shelter  foi-  the  win- 
ter, if  the  season  should  prevent  us  from  returning  either  to  the 
Hook's  party,  or  Fort  Enterprize  ;  and  I  was  the  more  induced  to 
take  this  step  at  this  time,  as  several  deer  had  been  seen  to-day,  and 
the  river  appeared  good  for  fishing :  which  led  mo  to  hope  wc 
might  support  the  party  during  our  stay,  if  not  add  to  our  stock  by 
our  own  exertions  in  hunting  and  fishing.  Augustus,  Junius,  and 
Hepburn,  were  therefore  furnished  with  the  necessary  j)resents, 
and  desired  to  go  along  the  bank  of  the  river  as  far  as  they  could, 
on  the  followingday,  in  search  of  the  natives,  to  obtain  provision 
and  leather,  as  well  as  information  respecting  the  coast. 

They  started  at  four  A.M.,  and  at  the  same  time  our  hunters 
were  sent  off  in  search  of  deer  ;  and  the  rest  of  the  party  pro- 
ceeded in  the  canoes  to  the  first  cascade  in  the  river,  at  the  foot 
of  which  we  encamped,  and  set  four  nets.  This  cascade,  produced 
by  a  ridge  of  rocks  crossing  the  stream,  is  about  three  or  four  feet 
in  height,  and  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  wide.    Its  posi- 


%(J 


334 


A    JOURNF.Y    TO    THR    SHORES 


i., 

1    X:< 

■1 

^  '^IM 


'  mK 


m 


lion  by  our  observations  is  latitude  67°  If)'  23"  N.,  longitude 
109'  44'  30"  W.,  variation  41°  43'  28",  dip  88'  58'  48".  I  have 
named  this  river  Hood,  as  a  small  tribute  to  the  memory  of  our 
lamented  friend  and  companion.  It  is  from  three  to  four  hundred 
yards  wide  below  the  cascade,  but  it  is  in  many  places  very  shal- 
low. The  banks,  bottom,  and  adja  "nt  hills,  are  formed  of  a  mix- 
ture of  sand  and  clay.  The  groun  I  was  overspread  with  small 
willows  and  the  dwarf  birch,  both  too  diminutive  for  fuel  •  and 
the  stream  brought  down  no  drift  wood.  We  were  mortified  to 
find  the  nets  only  procured  one  salmon  and  five  white  fish,  and 
that  we  had  to  make  another  inroad  upon  our  dried  meat. 

*^ugnst  I. — At  two  this  morning  the  hunters  returned  with  two 
ymall  deer  and  a  brown  bear.  Augustus  and  Junius  arrived  at  the 
same  time,  having  traced  the  river  twelve  miles  fijrther  up,  wjih. 
out  discovering  any  vestige  of  inhabitants.  We  had  now  an  op- 
portunity of  gratifying  our  curiosity  respecting  the  bear  so  mucli 
dreaded  by  the  Indians,  and  of  whose  strength  and  ferocity  we  had 
heard  such  terrible  accounts.  It  proved  to  be  a  lean  male  of  a 
yellowish  brown  colour,  and  not  longer  than  a  common  hiack 
bear.  It  made  a  feeble  attempt  to  defend  itself,  and  was  easilv 
despatched.  The  flesh  was  !»rought  to  the  tent,  but  our  fastidi- 
ous voyagers  supposing,  from  its  leanness,  the  animal  had  been 
sickly,  declined  ealina;  it;  the  oflicers,  however,  being  less  scru- 
pulous, boiled  the  paws,  and  found  them  excellent. 

We  eii)bar}i.''i  at  ten  A.M.,  and  proceeding  down  the  river. 
took  on  board  ivoitf  ■•  (loer  that  had  been  killed  by  Credit  last 
evening.  We  \.<.in  )oa  along  the  eastern  shore  of  Arctic  Sound, 
distinguished  by  the  liV^^e  of  Banks'  Peninsula,  in  honour  of  the 
late  Right  Honourable  Sir  .fuscjih  Ba.iks,  President  of  the  Royal 
Society ;  and  rounding  Point  Wollaston  at  its  eastern  extremity, 
opened  another  extensive  sheet  of  water  ;  and  the  remainder  ol 
the  afternoon  was  spent  in  endeavouring  to  ascertain,  from  the 
tops  of  the  hills,  whether  it  was  another  bay,  or  merely  a  pas- 
sage enclosed  by  a  chain  of  islands.  Appearances  rather  favour- 
ing the  latter  opinion,  we  determined  on  proceeding  through  it  to 
the  southward.  During  the  delay  four  more  deer  were  killed,  all 
young  and  lean.     It  appears  that  the  coast  is  pretty  well  fie- 


tif' 


or   THE    POLAR    SEA. 


335 


ijucntcd  by  rein-deer  at  this  season  ;  hut  it  is  rather  sinj^ular,  that 
liithcrto  we  have  killed  none  (execptinj;  Ihe  first)  but  young  ones 
of  last  season,  which  were  all  too  lean  to  have  been  eaten  by  any 
but  persons  who  had  no  choice. 

We  paddled  along  the  western  shore  with  the  intention  of  en- 
camping, but  were  prevented  from  the  want  of  drift  wood  on  the 
beach.  This  Induced  us  to  make  a  traverse  o  an  island,  where 
we  put  up  at  midnight,  having  found  a  small  bay,  whose  shores 
liirnished  us  with  a  little  fire-wood.  A  heavy  gale  came  on  from 
the  westward,  attended  witii  constant  rain,  and  one  of  the  squalls 
overthrew  our  tents.  The  course  and  distance  made  to-day  were 
lorth-east  sixteen  miles  and  a  half.  I  may  here  mention,  that 
A;Ltic  Sound  appears  to  be  the  most  convcnicU,  and  perhaps  the 
best,  place  for  ships  to  anchor  that  we  have  seen  along  the  coast ; 
at  this  season  especially,  when  they  mij^ht  increase  their  stock  of 
provision,  if  provided  with  good  marksmen.  Deer  are  numprnns 
1(1  its  vicinity,  musk-oxen  also  may  be  found  up  Hood's  River, 
and  tlie  fine  sandy  bottom  of  the  bays  promise  favourably  for 
Ishing  with  the  seine.  The  hills  on  the  western  side  are  even  in 
iieii  outline  and  slope  gradually  to  the  water's  edge.  The  rocks 
151VC  ;)iace  to  an  alluvial  sandy  soil,  towards  the  bottom  of  the 
Sound;  but  on  Banks'  Peninsula  rocky  eminences  again  prevail, 
which  are  rugged  and  uneven,  but  they  are  intersected  by  valleys, 
now  green  ;  along  their  base  is  a  fine  sandy  beach.  From  Point 
Wollaston  to  our  present  encampment  the  coast  is  skirted  with 
trap  cliflfs,  which  have  often  a  columnar  form,  and  are  very  diiti- 
cult  of  access.  These  clifTs  lie  in  ranges  parallel  to  the  shore,  and 
ihe  deer  that  we  killed  were  feeding  in  small  marshy  grassy  plats 
that  Me  in  the  valleys  between  them. 

Being  detained  by  the  continuance  of  the  gale,  on  the  2d  of 
August  some  men  were  sent  out  to  hunt,  and  the  oflicers  visited 
the  tops  of  the  highest  hills,  to  ascertain  the  best  channels  Jo  be 
pursued.  The  wind  abating  at  ten  P.M.,  we  embarked  and  pad- 
dled round  the  southern  end  of  the  island,  and  continued  our 
course  to  the  south-east.  Much  doubt  at  this  time  prevailed  as 
to  the  land  on  the  right  being  the  main  shore,  or  merely  a  chain 
of  islands.     The  latter  opinion  was  strengthened  by  the  broken 


.> 


1 


hmMv.  ■ 


/I 


k:i 


336 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


mmm' 


Li;  il'l-^^^ijli 


mt,r 


>4. 


appearance  of  the  land,  and  tlie  extensive  view  we  had  up  Brovvn\s 
Channel,  (named  after  my  friend  Mr.  Robert  Brown,)  the  mouth  oi 
which  we  passed,  and  uere  in  some  apprehension  of  beina;  led 
away  from  the  main  shore  ;  and,  perhaps,  after  passing  throuj2;h  a 
group  of  islands,  of  coming  to  a  traverse  greater  iLan  we  durst 
venture  upon  in  canoes.  On  the  other  hand,  the  continuous  ap- 
pearance of  the  land  on  the  north  side  of  the  channel,  and  its 
tending  to  the  southward,  produced  a  fear  that  we  were  entering 
a  deep  inlet. 

3n  this  state  of  doubt  we  landed  often,  and  endeavoured,  fioni 
the  summits  of  the  highsst  hills  adjoining  the  shore,  to  ascertain 
the  true  nature  of  the  coast,  but  in  vain,  and  we  continued  pad- 
dling through  the  channel  all  night  against  a  fresh  breeze,  which, 
at  half  past  four,  increased  to  a  violent  gale,  and  compelled  us  to 
land.  The  gale  diminished  a  short  time  after  noon  on  the  3d,  and 
permitted  us  to  re-embark  and  continue  our  voyage  until  four 
P.M.,  when  it  returned  with  its  former  violence,  and  finally 
obliged  us  to  encamp,  having  come  twenty-four  miles  on  a  south- 
east three-quarter  south  course. 

From  the  want  of  drift  wood  to  make  a  lire  we  had  fasted  all 
day,  and  were  under  the  necessity,  in  the  evening,  of  serving  out 
pemmican,  which  was  done  with  much  reluctance,  especially  as 
we  had  some  fresh  deers'  meat  remaining.  The  inlet,  when  view- 
ed from  a  high  hill  adjoining  to  our  encampment,  exhibited  so 
many  arms,  that  the  course  we  ought  to  pursue  was  more  uncer- 
tain than  ever.  It  was  absolutely  necessary,  however,  to  see  the 
end  of  it  before  we  could  determine  that  it  was  not  a  strait.  Starting 
at  three  A.M.,  on  the  4th,  we  paddled  the  whole  day  through 
channels,  from  two  to  five  or  six  miles  wide,  all  tending  to  the 
southward.  In  the  course  of  the  day's  voyage  wc  ascertained,  that 
the  land  which  we  had  seen  on  our  right  hand  since  yesterday 
morning,  consisted  of  several  large  islands,  which  have  been  dis- 
tinguished by  the  names  of  Goulburn,  Elliot,  and  Young;  but 
the  land  on  our  left  preserved  its  unbroken  appearance,  and  whcii 
we  encamped,  we  were  still  uncertain  whether  it  was  the  eastern 
side  of  a  deep  sound  or  merely  a  large  island.  It  differed  re- 
markably from  the  main  shore,  being  very  rugged,  rocky,  and 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA, 


337 


:,Lcrilc,  wliereas  the  outline  of  the  main  on  tlic  opposite  side  was 
even,  and  its  hills  covered  with  a  comparatively  good  sward  of 
grass,  and  exhihited  little  naked  rock.  There  was  no  drift  tim- 
ber, but  the  shores  near  the  encampment  were  strewed  with  small 
pieces  of  vviliow,  which  indicated  our  vicinity  to  the  mouth  of  a 
river.  This  fuel  enabled  us  to  make  a  hearty  supper  off  a  small 
ileer  killed  this  evening. 

The  shallows  we  passed  to-day  were  covered  with  shoals  of  ca- 
pelin,  the  angmaggcElik  of  the  Esquimaux.  It  was  known  to  Au- 
gustus, who  informed  us  that  it  frequents  the  coast  of  Hudson's 
Bay,  and  is  delicate  eating.  The  course  and  distance  made  was, 
south  by  east  half  east,  thirty-three  miles. 

After  paddling  twelve  miles  in  the  morning  of  the  5th,  we  had 
the  mortification  to  find  the  intlet  terminated  by  a  river ;  the  size 
of  which  we  could  not  ascertain,  as  the  entrance  was  blocked  by 
shoals.  Its  mouth  lies  in  lat.  66°  30'  N.,  long.  107*  53'  W.  I 
have  named  this  stream  Back,  as  a  mark  of  my  friendship  for  my 
associate.*  We  were  somewhat  consoled  for  the  loss  of  time  in 
exploring  this  inlet,  by  the  success  of  Junius  in  killing  a  musk-ox, 
the  first  we  had  seen  on  the  coast ;  and  afterwards  by  the  acquisi- 
tion of  the  flesh  of  a  bear,  that  was  shot  as  we  were  returning  up 
the  eastern  side  in  the  evening.  The  latter  proved  to  be  a  female, 
in  very  excellent  condition ;  and  our  Canadian  voyagers,  whose 
appetite  for  fat  meat  is  insatiable,  were  delighted. 

We  encamped  on  the  shores  of  a  sandy  bay,  and  set  the  nets ; 
and  finding  a  quantity  of  dried  willows  on  the  beach,  we  were 
enabled  to  cook  the  bear's  flesh,  which  was  superior  tj  any  meat 
we  had  tasted  on  the  coast.  The  water  fell  two  feet  at  this  place 
during  the  night.  Our  nets  produced  u  great  variety  of  fish, 
namely,  a  salmon-trout,  some  round  fish,  tittameg,  bleak,  star-fish, 
several  herrings,  and  a  flat  fish  resembling  plaice,  but  covered  on 
the  back  with  horny  excrescences. 

On  the  6th  we  were  detained  in  the  encampment  by  stormy 

•  From  subsequent  couversalioii  with  the  Copper  Indians,  we  were  inclin- 
ed to  suppose  this  maybe  the  'rhUieetessy,  described  by  Hlack-meat,  mention- 
«ci  in  i)  former  part  of  the  narrative. 

Uu 


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||, 

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t'ftiM 

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338 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


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fi%m 


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III 


weather  until  five  P.M.,  when  we  embarked  and  paddled  alon"^ 
the  northern  shore  of  the  inlet;  the  weather  still  continuina:  fcn-v 
but  the  wind  moderate.  Obscrvina;  on  the  beach  a  she  bear  wiili 
three  younj>;  ones,  we  landed  a  party  to  attack  them  ;  but,  bein"- 
approached  without  due  caution,  they  took  the  alarm  and  scaled 
a  precipitous  rocky  hill,  with  a  rapidity  that  baffled  all  pursuit. 
At  eij^ht  o'clock,  the  fog  changinji,  into  rain,  we  encamped.  Main- 
seals  wore  seen  to-day,  but  as  they  kept  in  deep  water  we  did  not 
fire  at  them. 

On  August  7th  the  atmc3phere  was  charged  with  fog  and  rain 
all  the  day,  but  as  the  wind  was  moderate  we  pursued  our  jour- 
ney ;  our  situation,  however,  was  very  unpleasant,  being  qujto 
wet  and  without  room  to  stretch  a  limb,  much  less  to  obtain 
warmth  by  exercise.  We  passed  a  cove,  which  I  have  named 
after  my  friend  Mr.  W.  H.  Tinney;  and  proceeded  along  the 
coast  until  five  P.M.,  when  we  put  up  on  a  rocky  point  nearly  op- 
posite to  our  encampment  on  the  3d,  having  come  twenty-three 
miles  on  a  north-noith-west  course. 

We  were  detained  on  the  8th  by  a  northerly  gale,  which  blew 
violently  throughout  the  day,  attended  by  fog  and  rain.  Some 
of  the  men  went  out  to  hunt,  but  they  saw  no  other  animal 
than  a  white  wolf,  which  could  not  be  approached.  The  fresh 
meat   being   expended,  a  little    pemmican  was  served   out  this 


evenuig. 


The  gale  abated  on  the  morning  cf  the  9th  ;  and  the  soa,  which 
it  hod  raised,  having  greatly  subsided,  we  embarked  at  seven 
A.M.,  and  after  paddling  three  or  four  miles,  opened  Sir  J.  A. 
Gordon's  Hay,  into  which  we  penetrated  thirteen  miles,  and  then 
discovoic'd  from  the  summit  of  a  hill  that  it  would  be  vain  to 
proceed  in  this  direction,  in  search  of  a  passage  out  of  the  inlet. 

Our  breakfast  diminished  our  provision  to  two  bags  of  pemmi- 
can, and  a  single  meal  of  dried  meat.  The  men  began  to  appre- 
hend absolute  want  of  food,  and  we  had  to  listen  to  their  gloomy 
forebodings  of  the  deer  entirely  quitting  the  coast  in  a  few  days. 
As  we  were  embarking,  however,  a  large  bear  was  discovered  or, 
the  opposite  shore,  which  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  kill ;  and  the 
:<ight  of  this  fat  mrrtt  relieved  their  fears  for  the  present.     \)r 


m 


01*   THE    POLAR    SEA. 


339 


Richardson  found  in  the  stomach  of  this  animal  the  remains  of  a 
seal,  several  marmots  {arctomys  Richardsonii)^  a  large  quantity 
of  the  liquorice  root  of  Mackenzie  {hedysarum)  which  is  commoir 
on  these  shores,  and  some  berries.  There  was  also  intermixed 
with  these  substances  a  small  quantity  of  grass. 

We  got  again  into  the  main  inlet,  and  paddled  along  its  eastern 
shore  until  forty  minutes  after  eight  A.M.,  \^  hen  we  encamped 
in  a  small  cove.  We  found  a  single  log  of  drift  wood  ;  it  was 
pine,  and  sufficiently  large  to  enable  us  to  cook  a  portion  of  the 
bear,  which  had  a  slight  fishy  taste,  but  was  deemed  very  pala- 
table. 

August  10. — We  followed  up  the  east  border  of  the  inlet  about 
twenty-four  miles,  and  at  length  emerged  into  the  open  sea;  a 
body  of  islands  to  the  westward  concealing  the  channel  by  which 
we  had  entered.  Here  our  progress  was  arrested  by  returning 
bad  weather.  We  killed  a  bear  and  its  young  cub  of  this  year, 
on  the  beach  near  to  our  encampment.  We  heartily  congratulat- 
ed ourselves  at  having  arrived  at  the  eastern  entrance  of  this 
inlet,  which  had  cost  us  nine  invaluable  days  in  exploring.  It 
contains  several  secure  harbours,  especially  near  the  mouth  of 
Back's  River,  where  there  is  a  sanc'y  bottom  in  forty  fathoms. 
There  also  fish  are  plentiful,  and  rein-deer  and  musk-oxen  may 
be  procured  at  this  season,  by  spending  a  little  time  in  hunting. 

On  the  3d  and  4th  of  August  we  observed  a  fall  of  more  than 
two  feet  in  the  water  during  the  night.  There  are  various  irregu- 
lar and  partial  currents  in  the  inlet,  which  may  be  attributed  to 
the  wind.  I  have  distinguished  it  by  the  name  Bathurst's  Inlet, 
in  honour  of  the  noble  Secretary  of  State,  under  whose  orders  I 
had  the  honour  to  act.  it  runs  about  seventy-six  miles  south-east 
from  Cape  Everitt,  but  in  coasting  its  shores  we  went  about  one 
hundred  and  seventy-four  geographical  miles.  It  is  remarkable 
that  none  of  the  Indians  with  whom  we  had  spoken  had  mention- 
ed this  inlet;  and  we  subsequently  learned,  that  in  their  journeys 
they  strike  across  from  the  mouth  of  one  river  to  the  mouth  of 
another,  without  tracing  the  intermediate  line  of  coast. 

August  11. — ^Embarking  at  five  A.M.,  we  rounded  Point  Eve- 
ritt, and  then  encountered  a  strong  breeze  and  heavy  swell,  which 


\i.. 


m 


■%vi 


340 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THK    SHORES 


ii 


■i 


^il 


by  causing  the  canoes  to  pitch  very  much,  greatly  impeded  oui 
progress.  Some  deer  being  seen  grazing  in  a  valley  near  the 
beach,  we  landed,  and  sent  St.  Germain  and  Adam  in  pursuit  oi 
t'  m.  who  soon  killed  three  which  were  very  small  and  lean. 
Their  appearance,  however,  quite  revived  the  spirits  of  our  men, 
who  had  suspected  that  the  deer  had  retired  to  the  woods.  It 
would  appear,  from  our  not  having  seen  any  in  passing  along  the 
shores  of  Bathurst's  Inlet,  that  at  this  season  they  confine  them- 
selves to  the  sea-coast  and  the  islands.  The  magpie  berries  {ar- 
butus  alpina)  were  found  quite  ripe  at  this  place,  and  very  abun- 
dant on  the  acclivities  of  the  hills.  We  also  ascended  thehijr;hes1 
hill,  and  gained  a  view  of  a  distant  chain  of  islands,  extendino; 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  and  perceived  a  few  patches  of  ice 
still  remaining  near  to  some  of  them  ;  but  in  every  other  part  the 
sea  was  quite  open.  Resuming  our  voyage  after  noon,  we  pro- 
ceeded along  the  coast,  which  is  fringed  by  islands  ;  and,  at  five 
P.M.,  entered  another  bay,  where  we  were  for  some  time  involv- 
ed in  our  late  difficulties  by  the  intricacy  of  the  passages;  but  we 
cleared  them  in  the  afternoon,  and  encamped  near  the  northern 
entrance  of  the  bay,  at  a  spot  which  had  recently  been  visited  by 
a  small  party  of  Esquimaux,  as  the  remains  of  some  eggs,  contain- 
ing young,  were  lying  beside  some  half-burnt  fire-wood.  There 
were  also  several  piles  of  stones  put  up  by  them.  I  have  named 
this  bay  after  my  friend.  Captain  David  Buchan,  of  the  Royal 
Navy.  It  appears  to  be  a  safe  anchorage,  being  well  sheltered 
from  the  wind  and  sea  by  islands;  the  bottom  is  sandy.  Its  shores 
are  high,  and  composed  of  red  sand-stone.  Two  deer  were  seen 
on  its  beach,  but  could  not  be  approached.  The  distance  we  madt 
to-day  was  eighteen  miles  and  three-quarters. 

Embarking  at  four  on  the  morning  of  the  12th,  we  proceeded 
against  a  fresh  piercing  north-east  wind,  which  raised  the  waves 
to  a  height  that  quite  terrified  our  people,  accustomed  only  to  thf 
navigation  of  rivers  and  lakes.  We  were  obliged.,  however,  to 
persevere  in  our  advance,  feeling,  as  we  did,  that  the  short  season 
for  our  operations  was  hastening  away ;  but  after  rounding  Cape 
Croker  the  wind  bc-came  so  strong  that  we  could  proceed  no  fur 
ther.  The  distance  we  had  made  being  only  six  miles  on  a  nortl; 


§X\,  V''^ 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


341 


east  by  east  course.  The  shore  on  which  we  encamped  is  formed 
of  the  debris  of  red  sand-stone,  and  is  destitute  of  vegetation. 
The  beach  furnishes  no  drift  wood,  and  we  dispensed  with  our 
usual  meal  rather  than  expend  our  pemmican.  Several  deer  were 
seen,  but  the  hunters  could  not  approach  them ;  they  killed  two 
swans.  We  observed  the  latitude  68°  1'  20",  where  we  halted  to 
breakfast  this  morning. 

tiiiffust  IS. — Though  the  wind  was  not  much  diminished,  we 
were  urged,  by  the  want  of  fire-wood,  to  venture  upon  proceed- 
ing. We  paddled  close  to  the  shore  for  some  miles,  and  then 
ran  before  the  breeze  with  reefed  sails,  scarcely  two  feet  in  depth. 
Both  the  canoes  received  much  water,  and  one  of  them  struck 
twice  on  sunken  rocks.  At  the  end  of  eighteen  miles  we  halted 
to  breakfast  in  a  bay,  which  I  have  named  after  Vice-Admiral 
Sir  William  Johnstone  Hope,  one  of  the  Lords  of  the  Admi- 
ralty. 

We  found  here  a  considerable  quantity  of  small  willows,  such 
as  are  brought  down  by  the  rivers  we  have  hitherto  seen ;  and 
hence  we  judged,  that  a  river  discharges  itself  into  the  bottom 
of  this  bay.  A  paddle  was  also  found,  which  Augustus,  on  ex- 
amination, declared  to  be  made  after  the  fashion  of  the  White 
Goose  Esquimaux,  a  tribe  with  whom  his  countrymen  had  had 
some  trading  communication,  as  has  been  mentioned  in  a  former 
part  of  the  Narrative. 

This  morning  we  passed  the  embouchure  of  a  pretty  large 
stream,  and  saw  the  vestiges  of  an  Esquimaux  encampment  not 
above  a  month  old.  Having  obtained  the  latitude  68°  6'  40" 
N.,  we  recommenced  our  voyage  under  sail,  taking  the  precau- 
tion to  embark  all  the  pieces  of  willow  we  could  collect,  as  we 
had  found  the  drift  wood  become  more  scarce  as  we  advanced. 
Our  course  was  directed  to  a  distant  point,  which  we  suppos- 
ed to  be  a  cape,  and  the  land  stretching  to  the  westward  of  it. 
to  be  islands ;  but  we  soon  found  ourselves  in  an  extensive  bay. 
from  which  no  outlet  could  be  perceived  but  the  one  by  which 
we  had  entered.  After  examining,  however,  from  the  top  of  ii 
liill,  we  found  a  winding  shallow  passage  running  lo  llif  nuitli- 


342 


A     roURNEY    TO    THE,    SIIORtr, 


xf  ^ 


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w^st,  which  we  followed  tor  a  short  time  and  theh  encamped, 
having  come  twenty  three  miles,  north  by  east  half  east. 

Some  articles  left  by  the  Esquimaux  attracted  our  attention  • 
we  found  a  winter  sledge  raised  upon  four  stones,  with  some  snow- 
shovels,  and  a  small  piece  of  whalebone.  An  ice-chisel,  a  knife, 
and  some  beads,  were  left  at  this  pile.  The  shores  of  tliis  bay, 
which  I  have  named  after  Sir  George  Warrender,  are  low  and 
clayey,  and  the  country  for  many  miles  is  level,  and  much  inter- 
sected with  water ;  but  we  had  not  leisure  to  ascertain  whether 
they  were  branches  of  the  bay  or  fresh-water  lakes.  Some  white 
geese  were  seen  this  evening,  and  some  young  grey  ones  were 
caught  on  the  beach,  being  unable  to  fly.  We  fired  at  two  rein- 
deer, but  without  success. 

On  August  14th  we  paddled  tlie  whole  day  along  the  northern 
shores  of  the  sound,  returning  towards  its  mouth.  The  land  which 
we  were  now  tracing  is  generally  so  flat,  that  it  could  not  be  des- 
cried from  the  canoes  at  the  distance  of  four  miles,  and  is  in- 
visible from  the  opposite  side  of  the  sound,  otherwise  a  short 
traverse  might  have  saved  us  some  days.  The  few  eminences 
that  are  on  this  side  were  mistaken  for  islands  when  seen  from 
the  opposite  shore ;  they  are  for  the  most  part  cliffs  of  basalt, 
and  are  not  above  one  hundred  feet  high ;  the  subjacent  strata  are 
of  white  sand-stone.  The  rocks  are  mostly  confined  to  the  capes 
and  shores,  the  soil  inland  being  flat,  clayey,  and  barren.  Most 
of  the  headlands  shewed  traces  of  visits  from  the  Esquimaux,  but 
none  of  them  recent.  Many  ducks  were  seen  to-day,  belonging 
to  a  species  termed  by  the  voyagers,  from  their  cry,  "  caccavvees.'- 
We  also  saw  some  grey  geese  and  swans.  The  only  seal  we  pro- 
cured during  our  voyage,  was  killed  this  day  ;  it  happened  to  be 
blind,  and  our  men  imagining  it  to  be  in  bad  health,  would  not 
taste  the  flesh  ;  we,  however,  were  less  nice. 

We  encamped  at  the  enil  of  twenty-four  miles'  march,  on  the 
north-west  side  of  a  bay,  to  which  I  have  given  the  name  of  my 
friend  Captain  Parry,  now  employed  in  the  interesting  research 
for  a  North-West  Passage.  Drift  wood  had  become  very  scarce, 
and  we  found  none  near  the  encampment ;  a  fire,  however,  was 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


34b 


lOt  requiredj  as  we  served  out  pemmican  for  supper,  and  the  even- 
ing was  unusually  warm. 

On  the  following  morning  the  breeze  was  fresh,  and  the  waves 
rather  high.  In  paddling  along  the  west  side  of  Parry's  Bay,  we 
saw  several  deer,  but  owing  to  the  openness  of  the  country,  the 
hunters  could  not  approach  them.  They  killed,  however,  two 
swans  that  were  moulting,  several  cranes,  and  mny  grey  geese. 
We  procured  also  some  caccawees,  which  were  then  moulting  and 
assembled  in  immense  flocks.  In  the  evening,  having  rounded 
Point  Beechy,  and  passed  Hurd's  Islands,  we  were  exposed  to 
much  inconvenience  and  danger  from  a  heavy  rolling  sea;  the 
canoes  receiving  many  severe  blows,  and  shipping  a  good  deal  of 
water,  which  induced  us  to  encamp  at  five  P.M.  opposite  to  Cape 
Croker,  which  we  had  passed  on  the  morning  of  the  12th;  the 
channel,  which  lay  between  our  situation  and  it,  being  about 
seven  miles  wide.  We  had  now  reached  the  northern  point  of 
entrance  into  this  sound,  which  I  have  named  in  honour  of  Lord 
Viscount  Melville,  the  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty.  It  is  thirty 
miles  wide  from  east  to  west,  and  twenty  from  north  to  south ; 
and  in  coasting  it  we  had  sailed  eighty-seven  and  a  quarter  geo- 
graphical miles.  Shortly  after  the  tents  were  pitched,  Mr.  Back 
reported  from  the  steersmen  that  both  canoes  had  sustained  ma- 
terial injury  during  this  day's  voyage.  I  found  upon  examination 
that  fifteen  timbers  of  the  fast  canoe  were  broken,  some  of  them 
in  two  places,  and  that  the  second  canoe  was  so  loose  in  the 
frame  that  its  timbers  could  not  be  bound  in  the  usual  secure 
manner,  and  consequently  there  was  danger  of  its  bark  separat- 
ing from  the  gunwales  if  exposed  to  a  heavy  sea.  Distressing 
as  were  these  circumstances,  they  gave  me  less  pain  than  the  dis- 
covery that  our  people,  who  had  hitherto  displayed,  in  following 
us  through  dangers  and  dilficultes  no  less  novel  than  appalling  to 
iheni,  a  courage  beyond  our  expectation,  now  felt  serious  appre- 
hensions for  their  safety,  which  so  possessed  their  minds  that  they 
were  not  restrained  even  by  the  presence  of  thyir  officers  from 
expressing  them.  Their  fears,  we  imagined,  hac^  been  principally 
excited  by  the  interpreters,  St.  Germain  and  Adam,  who  from  the 
outset  h.id  foreboded  every  calamity  ;  and  we  nov  strongly  sus- 


l- 


ffa;'iP='^^ 


344 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


m 

'Hi- 1; 


? 


H, 


pected  that  their  recent  want  of  success  in  their  hunting  oxeui 
sions,  had  proceeded  from  an  intentional  relaxation  in  their  efibrt- 
to  kill  deer,  in  order  that  the  want  of  provision  might  compel  us 
to  put  a  peiiod  to  our  voyaj^e. 

I  must  now  mention  that  many  concurrent  circumstances  had 
caused  me,  during  the  few  last  days,  to  meditate  on  the  approach 
of  this  painful  necessity.     The  strong  breezes  we  had  encounter- 
ed for  some  days,  led  me  to  fear  that  the  season  was  breaking 
up,  and  severe  weather  would  soon  ensue,  which  we  could  not 
sustain  in  a  country  destitute  of  fuel.     Our  stock  of  provision 
was  now  reduced  to  a  quantity  of  pemmican  only  sufficient  for 
three  days'  consumption,  and  the  prospect  of  increasing  it  was 
not  encouraging,  for  though  rein-deer  were  seen,  they  could  not 
be  easily  approached  on  the  level  shores  we  were  now  coasting, 
besides,  it  was  to  be  apprehended  they  would  soon  migrate  to  the 
south.     It  was  evident  that  the  time  spent  in  exploring  the  Arc 
tic  and  Melville  Sounds,  and  Bathurst's  Inlet,  had  precluded  the 
hope  of  reaching  Repulse  Bay,  which  at  the  outset  of  the  voyage 
we  had  fondly  cherished  ;  and   it  was  equally   obvious  that  as 
our  distance  from  any  of  the  trading  establishments  would  in- 
crease as  we  proceeded,  the  hazardous  traversfe  across  the  barren 
grounds,  which  we  should  have  to  make,  if  compelled  to  aban- 
don the  canoes  upon  any  part  of  the  coast,  would  become  greater. 
I  this  evening  communicated  to  the  officers  my  sentiments  on 
these  points,  as  well  as  respecting  our  return,  and  was  happy  to 
find  liiat   their  opinions   coincided  with  my  own.     We   were  all 
convinced  of  the  necessity  of  putting  a  speedy  termination  to  our 
advance,  as  the  hope  which  we  hud  cherished  of  meeting  the  Esqui- 
maux and  procuring  provision  from  them,  could  now  scarcely  be 
entertained  ;  but  yet  we  were  desirous  of  proceeding,  until  the 
land  should  be  seen  trending  again  to  the  eastward  ;  that  we  mi2;ht 
Ije  satisfied  of  its  separation  from  what  we  had  conceived,  in  pass- 
ing from  Cape  Barrow  to  Bathurst's  Inlet,  to  be  a  great  chain  ol 
islands.  As  it  was  necessary  however,  at  all  events,  to  set  a  limit 
to  our  advance,  I  announced  my  determination  of  returning  after 
four  days  examination,  unless,  indeed,  we  should  previously  meet 
the  EsquimauK.  and  be  enabled  to  make  some  arrangement  fc 


or    THE    POLAR    SliA. 


passing  the  winter  with  them.  This  commuuicalioii  was  joyfully 
received  by  the  men,  and  we  hoped  that  the  industry  of  our  hun- 
ters being  once  more  excited,  we  should  be  able  to  add  to  our 
stock  of  provision. 

It  may  here  be  remarked  that  we  observed  the  first  regular  re- 
turn of  the  tides  in  Warrender's  and  Parry's  Bays  ;  but  their  set 
could  not  be  ascertained.  The  rise  of  the  water  did  not  amount 
to  more  than  two  feet.  Course  to-day  south  one  quarter  east — 
nine  miles  and  a  quarter. 

August  16. — Some  rain  fell  in  the  night,  but  the  morning  was 
unusually  fine.  We  set  forward  at  five  A.M.,  and  the  men  pad- 
dled cheerfully  along  the  coast  for  ten  miles,  when  a  dense  fog 
caused  us  to  land  on  Slate-clay  Point.  Here  we  found  more  traces 
of  the  Esquimaux,  and  the  scull  of  a  man  placed  between  two 
rocks.  The  fog  dispersed  at  noon,  and  we  discerned  a  group  of 
islands  to  the  northward,  which  I  have  named  after  Vice-Admiral 
Sir  George  Cockburn,  one  of  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty.  Re- 
embarking,  we  rounded  the  point  and  entered  Walker's  Bay, 
where,  as  in  other  instances,  the  low  beach  which  lay  between 
several  high  trap  clitfs,  could  not  be  distinguished  until  we  had 
coasted  down  the  east  side  nearly  to  the  bottom  of  the  bay. 
When  the  continuity  of  the  land  was  perceived,  we  crossed  to  the 
western  shore,  and  on  landing,  discovered  a  channel  leading 
through  a  group  of  islands.  Having  passed  through  this  channel, 
we  ran  under  sail  by  the  Porden  Islands,  across  Riley's  Bay,  and 
rounding  a  cape  which  now  bears  the  name  of  my  lamented  friend 
Captain  Flinders,  had  the  pleasure  to  find  the  coast  trending 
north-north-east,  with  the  sea  in  the  offing  unusually  clear  of 
islands;  a  circumstance  which  afforded  matter  of  wonder  to  our 
Canadians,  who  had  not  previously  had  an  uninterrupted  view  of 
the  ocean. 

Our  course  was  continued  along  the  coast  until  eight  P.M., 
when  a  change  in  the  wind  and  a  threatening  thunder  squall 
induced  us  to  encamp ;  but  the  water  was  so  shallow,  that  we 
found  some  difficulty  in  approaching  the  shore.  Large  pieces  of 
tlrift  wood  gave  us  assurance  that  we  had  finally  escaped  from 

\    X 


>,•:  ti- 


34() 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


the  bays'-  Our  tents  were  scarcely  pitclied  Ijiilore  we  wore  as- 
sailetl  by  a  heavy  squall  and  rain,  which  was  succeeded  by  a  vio 
lei)i  gale  trom  west-northwest;  which  thrice  overset  the  lent- 
in  the  course  ot"  the  night.  The  wind  blew  with  equal  vioUjiico 
'  on  the  following  day,  and  the  sea  rolled  fmiously  upon  the  beach. 
Tile  Canadians  had  now  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  the  cfleri 
of  a  storm  upon  the  sea;  and  the  sight  increased  their  desire  o! 
quitting  it. 

Our  hunters  were  sent  out,  and  saw  many  deer,  but  the  flat 
ness  of  the  country  defeated  their  attempts  to  approach  theni ; 
they  brought,  however,  a  lew  unfledged  geese.  As  there  was  no 
appearance  of  increasing  our  stock  of  provision,  the  allowance  Wiis 
limited  to  a  handful  of  pemmican,  and  a  small  portion  of  portable 
soup  to  each  man  per  day.  The  thermometer  this  afternoon  stood 
at  41".  The  following  observations  were  obtained  :  latitude  68- 
IS'  50"  N.,  longitude  110"  5'  15"  W. ;  but  109°  25'  00"  VV, 
was  used  in  the  construction  of  thr  '"hart,  as  the  chronometers 
were  found,  on  our  return  to  Hor  I's  River,  to  have  altered 
their  rates;  variation  44**  15'  46"  E.,  and  dip  of  the  needlr 
89°  .31'  12". 

On  August  ISth  the  stormy  weather  and  sea  continuing,  there, 
was  no  prospect  of  our  being  able  to  embark.  Dr.  Richardson, 
Mr.  Back,  and  I,  therefore,  set  out  on  foot  to  discover  whether 
the  land  within  a  day's  march,  inclined  more  to  the  east.  We 
went  from  ten  to  twelve  miles  along  the  coast,  which  continued 
flat,  and  kept  the  same  direction  as  the  encampment.  The  most 
distant  land  we  saw  had  the  same  bearing  north-north-east,  and 
appeared  like  two  islands,  which  we  estimated  to  be  six  or  seven 
miles  off;  the  shore  on  liieir  inside  seemingly  trended  inure  to 
the  east,  so  that  it  is  probable  Point  Turnagain,  for  so  this  spot 
was  named,  forms  the  pitch  of  a  low  flat  cape. 

Augustus  killed  a  deer  in  the  afiernoon,  but  the  men  were  not 
able  to  find  it.  The  hunters  found  the  burrows  of  a  number  oi 
white  foxes,  and  liej)buni  killed  one  of  these  animals,  which 
proved  excellent  eating,  esteemed  by  us  as  ecpial  to  the  young 
geese,  with  which  il  was  boiled,  and  far  superior  to  the  lean  deei 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


347 


,ve  had  upon  the  coast.  Large  flocks  of  <];eese  passed  over  the 
tents,  flying  to  the  southward.  The  lowest  temperature  to-day 
was  S8^ 

Though  it  will  appear  iVom  the  chart,  that  the  position  of  I*oiiit 
Tiirnagain  is  only  six  degrees  and  a  hall' to  the  cast  of  the  mouth 
of  the  Copper-Mine  River;  we  sailed,  in  tracing  the  deeply- 
indented  coast,  five  luindred  and  fifty-five  geographic  uiiles,  which 
is  little  less  than  the  direct  distance  hetween  the  Copper-Mine 
River  and  Repulse  Bay  ;  supposing  the  latter  to  be  in  the  longi- 
tude assigned  to  it  by  Middleton. 

When  the  many  perplexing  incidents  which  occurred  durini;  the 
survey  of  the  coast  are  considered  in  connexion  with  the  short- 
ness of  the  period,  during  which  operations  of  the  kind  can  l)e  car- 
ried on,  and  the  distance  we  had  to  travel  before  we  could  gain 
1  place  of  shelter  for  the  winter,  1  trust  it  will  be  judged  tiiat  we 
prosecuted  the  enterprise  as  far  as  was  prudent,  and  abandoned  it 
only  under  a  well-founded  conviction  that  a  further  advance 
would  endanger  the  lives  of  the  whole  party,  and  prevent  the 
knowledge  of  what  had  been  done  from  reaching  England.  The 
active  assistance  I  received  from  the  officers,  in  contending  with 
the  fears  of  the  men,  demands  my  warmest  gratitude. 

Our  researches  as  far  as  they  have  gone,  seem  to  favour  the 
opinion  of  those  who  contend  for  the  practicability  of  a  North- 
West  Passage.  The  general  line  of  coast  probably  runs  east  and 
west,  nearly  in  the  latitude  assigned  to  Mackenzie's  River,  the 
Sound  into  which  Kotzebue  entered,  and  Repulse  Bay ;  and  very 
little  doubt  can,  in  my  opinion,  be  entertained  of  the  existence 
of  a  continued  sea,  in  or  about  that  line  of  direction.  The  exist- 
ence of  whales  too,  on  this  part  of  the  coast,  evidenced  by  the 
whalebone  we  found  in  Esquimaux  Cove,  may  be  considered  as 
an  argument  for  an  open  sea  ;  and  a  connexion  with  Hudson's  Bay 
is  rendered  more  probable  from  the  same  kind  of  fish  abounding 
on  the  coasts  we  visited,  and  on  those  to  the  north  of  Churchill 
River.  I  allude  more  particularly  to  the  Capelin  or  Salmo  Arc- 
ticus,  which  we  found  in  large  shoals  in  Bathurst's  Inlet,  and 
which  not  only  abounds,  as  Augustus  told  us,  in  the  bays  in  his 

\ 


mm 


'  ^ 


Wim 


4'€^^,. 


li<|i||Hcj;;  '  ,    'i 

— ^'     ,,  &  > 


i?*f 


I 


It  1 


J 


.148 


A    JOURNEY    TO    TIIF.    SHOKl.S 


irrfl 


Pi ■•4^1     1.  .,, 


country,  Hut  swarms  in  the  Greenland  firths.*  The  portion  of 
the  sea  over  which  wc  ])asse(l  is  navigable  for  vessels  of  any 
size  ;  the  ice  we  met,  particularly  after  quitting  Detention  Har- 
bour, would  not  have  arrested  a  stroni;  boat.  The  chain  ot 
islantis  aflords  shelter  from  all  heavy  seas,  and  there  are  gooil 
harbours  at  convenient  distances.  1  entertain  indeed,  san8;uinc 
hopes  thai  the  skill  and  exertions  of  my  friend  Captain  Parry 
will  soon  render  this  question  no  longer  problematical.  His 
task  is  doubtless  an  arduous  one,  and,  if  ultimately  successful, 
may  occupy  two  and  perhaps  three  season's;  but  confiding;  as  I 
do,  from  personal  knowledge,  in  his  perseverance  and  talent  for 
surmounting  difFiculties,  the  strength  of  his  ships,  and  the  abun- 
dance of  provisions  with  which  they  are  stored,  I  have  very 
little  apprehension  of  his  safety.  As  I  underst.-'nd  his  object  was 
to  keep  the  coast  of  America  close  on  board,  he  will  find  in  the 
spring  of  the  year,  before  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice  can  permit 
him  to  pursue  his  voyage,  herds  of  deer  flocking  in  abundance 
to  all  parts  of  the  coast,  which  may  be  procured  without  diffi. 
culty  ;  and,  even  later  in  the  season,  additions  to  his  stock  ot 
provision  may  be  obtained  on  many  parts  of  the  coast,  should 
circumstances  give  him  leisure  to  send  out  hunting  parties, 
With  the  trawl  or  seine  nets  also,  he  may  almost  every  where 
get  abundance  of  fish  even  without  retarding  his  progress.  Un- 
der these  circumstances  I  do  not  conceive  that  he  runs  any  ha- 
zard of  wanting  provisions,  should  his  voyage  be  prolonged  even 
beyond  the  latest  period  of  time  which  is  calculated  upon.  Drift 
timber  may  be  gathered  at  many  places  in  considerable  quanti- 
ties, and  there  is  a  fair  prospect  of  his  opening  a  communica- 
tion with  the  Esquimaux,  who  come  down  to  the  coast  to  kill 
seals  in  the  spring,  previous  to  the  ice  breaking  up ;  and  from 
whom,  if  he  succeeds  in  conciliating  their  good  will,  he  may  ob- 
tain provision,  and  much  useful  assistance. 

If  he  makes  for  Copper-Mine  River,  as  he  probably  will  do,  he 
will  not  find  it  in  the  longitude  as  laid  down  on  the  charts ;  but  he 
will  probably  find  what  would  be  more  interesting  to  him,  a  post 


*  Arctic  Zoology,  toI.  ii.  p.  .394. 


OF    THF.    POI.AH    Sr.A. 


34?^ 


which  we  erected  on  the  26th  August  at  the  mouth  of  Hood's 
Uivui",  which  is  nearly,  as  will  appear  hereafter,  in  that  loni^itude, 
witli  a  flag  upon  it,  and  a  letter  at  the  foot  of  it,  which  may  con- 
vey to  him  some  useful  information.  It  is  possihlc,  however,  that 
he  mij^ht  keep  outside  of  the  ran^e  of  islands  which  skirt  this 
oart  of  the  coast. 


IfeJl 


should 
parties, 
where 
Un- 
any  ha- 
2;ed  even 
m.  Drift 
quanti- 
[imunica- 
st  to  kill 
md  from 
may  ob- 


M' 


*.  i   '( 


*. 


■(I    ,i,J    <-f, 


350 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


CHAPTER  Xir. 


Journey  across  the  barren  grounds — Difficulty  and  delay  in  crossing  Coppei'. 
Mine  River — Melancholy  and  fatal  Results  thereof— Extreme  Misery  of  the 
whole  Party — ^Murder  of  Mr.    Hood — Ueatli  of  several  of  the  Canadians- 
Desolate  State  of  Fort  Enterprize — Distress  suffered  at  that  I'lace— Dr 
Richardson's  Narrative — Mr.  Back's  Narrative — Conclusion. 


[  "•iv?^.; 


i.    .    ."  <1  P     ' 


1821.  ■»*■ 

August  17.    IVIY  original  intention,  whenever  the  season  should 

compel  us  to  relinquish  the  survey,  iiad  been  to  return  by  the  way 
of  the  Copper-Mine  River,  and  in  pursuance  of  my  arrani>;e- 
ment  with  the  Hook  to  travel  to  Slave  Lake  through  the  line  ol 
woods  extending  thither  by  the  Great  Bear  and  Marten  Lakes 
but  our  scanty  stock  of  provision  and  the  length  of  the  voya'^e 
rendered  it  necessary  to  make  for  a  nearer  place.  We  had  already 
iounu  that  the  country,  between  Cape  Barrow  and  the  Copper- 
Mine  River,  would  not  supply  our  wants,  and  this  it  seemed  pro 
bable  would  now  be  still  more  the  case ;  besides,  at  this  advanced 
season,  we  expected  the  frequent  recurrence  of  gales,  which 
would  cause  great  detention,  if  not  danger  in  proceeding  alona; 
that  very  rocky  part  of  the  coast. 

I  determined,  therefore,  to  make  ai  once  for  Arctic  Sound 
where  we  had  found  tiie  animals  more  numerous  than  at  any 
other  place  ;  and  entering  Hood's  River,  to  advance  up  that  stream 
as  far  as  it  was  navigable,  and  then  to  construct  small  canoes  out 
of  the  materials  of  the  larger  ones,  which  could  be  carried  in 
crossing  the  barren  grounds  to  Fort  Enterprize. 

t^ugust  19. — We  were  almost  beaten  out  of  our  comfortless 
abodes  by  rain  during  the  night,  and  this  morning  the  gale  con- 
tinued without  diminution.  The  thermometer  fell  to  33°.  Two 
men  were  sent  with  Junius  to  search  for  the  deer  which  Augustus 
had  killed.  Junius  returned  in  the  evening  bringing  port  of  the 
meat,  but  owing  to  the  thickness  of  the  weather,  his  companions 
parted  from  him  and  did  not  make  their  appearance.     Divine  scr- 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


351 


vice  was  read.  On  the  20th  we  were  prescrited  '.vith  the  most 
chilling  prospect,  the  snnall  pools  of  water  being  frozen  over,  the 
o-round  being  covere*^'  with  snow,  and  the  thermoineter  at  the 
freezing  point  at  mid-day.  Flights  of  geese  were  passing  to  the 
sc'.ilhward.  The  wind  however  was  more  moderate,  having 
changed  to  the  eastward.  Considerable  anxiety  prevailing  re- 
specting Belanger  and  Michel,  the  two  men  who  strayed  from 
Junius  yesterday,  the  rest  wer^  sent  out  to  look  for  them.  The 
search  was  successful,  and  they  all  returned  in  the  evening.  The 
stragglers  were  much  fatigued,  and  had  suffered  severely  from  the 
cold,  one  of  them  having  his  thighs  frozen,  and  what  under  our 
circumstances  was  most  grievous,  they  had  thrown  away  all  the 
meat,  The  wind  rluring  the  night  returned  to  the  north-west 
quari.er.  Hew  more  violently  than  ever,  and  raised  a  very  turbu- 
lent sea.  The  next  day  did  not  improve  our  condition,  the  snow 
remained  on  the  ground,  and  the  small  pools  were  frozen.  Our 
iiuntevs  were  sent  out,  but  they  returned  after  a  fatiguing  day's 
march  without  having  seen  any  animals.  We  made  a  scanty 
meal  off  a  handful  of  pemmican,  after  which  only  half  a  bag  re- 
mained. 

The  wind  abated  after  midnight,  and  the  surf  diminished  rapidly, 
which  caused  us  to  be  on  the  alert  at  a  very  early  hour  on  the  22d, 
but  we  had  to  wait  until  six  A.M.  for  the  return  of  Augustus  who 
had  continued  out  all  night  on  an  unsuccessful  pursuit  of  deer 
It  appears  that  he  warlked  a  few  miles  farther  along  the  coast, 
than  the  party  had  done  on  the  ISth,  and  from  a  sketch  he  drew 
on  the  sand,  we  were  confirmed  in  our  former  opinion  that  the 
shore  inclined  more  to  the  eastward  beyond  Point  Turnagain. 
He  also  drew  a  river  of  considerable  size,  that  discharges  its  waters 
into  Walker's  Bay ;  on  the  banks  of  which  stream  he  saw  a  piece 
of  wood,  such  as  the  Esquimaux  use  in  producing  fire,  and  other 
marks  so  fresh  that  he  supposed  they  hail  recently  visited  the 
spot.  We  therefore  left  several  iron  materials  for  them.  Our 
men,  cheered  by  the  prospect  of  returning,  embarked  with  the 
utmost  alacrity ;  and,  paddling  with  unusual  vi2,our,ciU  ricd  us  across 
Riley's  and  Walker's  Bays,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles  before  noon, 
wlu'!i  wo  laiulod  on  Slatp-riav  Point,  as  the  wind  hail  freshened 


.^*%Mi< 


'Ife, 


352 


Pi" 


A    .(OURNEY    TO     ritf.    SIIORi.S 


.  ^J'rlJi    ,'     n^^ 

Iti!  i)- 


^^i 


'   ■:     './^* 


'  2       I 


.5  ."«   #. 


-*  i-ii 


,1 


loo  much  to  permit  us  to  continue  the  voyaa;e.  Tho  whole  paiLv 
went  to  hunt,  hut  returned  without  success  in  the  evenin;j;,  .1  veiiih- 
ed  with  the  heavy  rain  which  commenced  soon  after  t'  ov  had 
set  out.  Several  deer  were  seen,  hut  could  not  he  approncho;!  m 
tiiis  naked  country  ;  and  as  our  stock  ol'  pcnmhcan  did  not  admit 
of  serving;  out  two  meals,  we  went  dinnerless  lo  hed. 

Soon  after  our  departure  to-day,  a  sealed  tin  case,  suHi  'i.^itly 
huoyant  to  float,  was  thrown  overhoanl,  conlainina;  a  shurl  accuunl 
of  our  proceedings,  and  the  position  of  thp  most  conspicuous  points. 
The  wind  hlewotrthe  land,  the  water  was  smooth,  and  as  the  sea 
is  in  this  part  more  free  from  islands  than  in  any  other,  there  was 
every  prohahility  of  its  heing  driven  oti'  the  shore  into  the  current: 
which,  as  1  have  hefore  mentioned,  we  suppose,  from  the  circum- 
stance of  JNIackenzie's  Kiver  hcing  the  only  known  stream  that 
hrings  down  the  wood  we  have  found  along  the  shores,  to  set  to 
the  eastward.  • 

t^higust  23. — A  severe  frost  caused  us  to  pass  a  comfortless 
night.  At.  2  P.M.  we  set  sail,  and  the  men  voluntarily  launoiied 
out  to  make  a  traverse  of  lifteen  miles  across  Melville  Sound,  be- 
fore a  strong  wind  and  heavy  sea.  The  privation  of  food,  under 
which  our  voyagers  were  then  labouring,  absorbed  every  other 
terror ;  otherwise  the  most  powerful  persuasion  could  not  have 
induced  them  to  attempt  such  a  traverse.  It  was  with  the  utmost 
diiriculty  that  the  canoes  were  kept  from  turning  their  broadsides 
to  the  waves,  though  we  sometimes  steered  with  all  the  paddles. 
One  of  them  narrowly  escaped  being  overset  by  this  accident,  hap- 
pening, in  mid-channel,  where  the  waves  were  so  high  that  the 
mast-head  of  our  canoe  was  often  hid  from  the  other,  though  it 
v,as  sailing  within  hail. 

The  traverse,  however,  was  made ;  we  were  then  near  a  high 
rocky  lee  shore,  on  which  a  heavy  surf  was  beating.  The  wind 
being  on  the  beam,  the  canoes  drifted  fast  to  leeward  ;  and,  on 
rounding  a  point,  the  recoil  of  the  sea  from  the  rocks  was  so 
great  that  they  were  with  ditliculty  kept  from  foundering.  Wp 
looked  in  vain  for  a  sheltei'ed  bay  to  land  in  ;  but,  at  length,  beiiiij; 
unable  to  weather  another  point,  we  were  obliged  to  put  ashore 
on  the  open  beach,  which,  fortunately,  was  sandy  at  this  spot 


*    )! 


^•^mmm^m^^yi 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


.j5J 


Tlie  debarkation  was  effected  without  rurthcr  injury  than  the 
splitting  of  the  head  of  the  second  canoe,  wiiicii  was  easily  re- 
paired. 

Our  encampment  being  near  to  the  place  where  we  killed  the 
deer  on  the  11th,  almost  the  whole  party  went  out  to  hunt,  but 
they  returned  in  the  evening  without  having  seen  any  game.  The 
berries,  however,  were  ripe  and  plentiful,  and,  with  the  addition 
of  some  country  tea,  furnisiied  a  supper.  There  were  some  show- 
ers in  the  afternoon,  and  the  weather  was  cold,  the  thermometer 
being  42°,  but  the  evening  and  night  were  calm  and  fine.  It  may 
be  remarked  that  the  musquitoes  disappeared  when  the  late  gales 
commenced. 

August  25. — Embarking  at  three  A.M.,  we  stretched  across 
the  eastern  entrance  of  Bathursl's  Inlet,  and  arrived  at  an  island, 
which  I  have  named  after  Colonel  Barry,  of  Newton  Barry. 
Some  deer  being  seen  on  the  beech,  the  hunters  went  in  pursuit 
of  them,  and  succeeded  in  killing  three  females,  which  enabled 
us  to  save  our  last  remaining  meal  of  pemmican.  They  saw  also 
some  fresh  tracks  of  musk  oxen  on  the  banks  of  a  small  stream, 
which  flowed  into  a  lake  in  the  centre  of  the  island.  These 
animals  must  have  crossed  a  channel,  at  least  three  miles  v/ide, 
to  reach  the  nearest  of  these  islands.  Some  specimens  of  varie- 
gated pebbles  and  jasper  were  found  here  imbedded  in  the  amyg- 
(ialoidal  rock. 

Re-embarking  at  two  P.M.,  and  continuing  through  what  was 
supposed  to  be  a  channel  between  two  islands,  we  found  our  pas- 
sage barred  by  a  gravelly  isthmus  of  only  ten  yards  in  width  ; 
the  canoes  and  cargoes  were  carried  across  it,  and  we  passed  into 
Bathurst's  Inlet  through  another  similar  channel,  bounded  on  both 
sides  by  steep  rocky  hills.  The  wind  then  changing  from  S.I]. 
to  N.W.  brought  heavy  rain,  and  we  encamped  at  seven  P.M., 
having  advanced  eighteen  miles. 

dugtist  25. — Starting  this  morning  with  a  fresh  breeze  in  our 
favour,  we  soon  reached  that  part  of  Barry's  Island  where  the  ca- 
noes, were  detained  on  the  2d  and  3d  of  this  month,  and  contrary 
to  what  we  then  experienced,  the  deer  were  now  plentiful.  The 
hunters  killed  two,  and  we  were  relieved  from  all  apprehension 

Y  V 


IH:  ■;■% 


J54 


A  JOURNEY    TO  THi:    SHORES 


-mm 


iff   i  ij^ii}  r  ■;  >)■ 


of  an  immediate;  want  of  food  One  would  suppose  tlie  dror  wore 
about  io  retire  to  the  nuiin  shore,  from  tlieir  assend)lini;  at  iiiis 
time  in  such  nund)ers  on  the  islantls  nearest  tlie  coast.  Those 
we  saw  were  generally  females  with  their  youn;;i;,  and  all  of  iIilmii 
very  lean. 

The  wind  continued  in  the  same  tlirection  until  we  had  rouml- 
ed  Point  Wolhston,  and  tlien  chan2;ed  to  a  quarter  which  oiiahlud 
us  to  steer  for  [lood's  River,  which  we  ascended  as  hii;h  as  tla: 
fu'st  rapid,  and  encamped.  Here  terminated  our  voyage  on  tlie. 
Arctic  sea,  durinsi-  which  we  had  ■:;one  over  six  hundred  and  lifiy 
t»;eo2;rapl  leal  miles.  Our  Canadian  \()yau;eis  could  not  I'csU'ain 
their  expressions  of  joy  at  havino;  turned  their  hacks  on  the  sea 
and  they  passed  the  evcnins;  talking  over  their  ])ast  adventures 
with  much  humour  and  no  little  e\a<i;i^eration.  The  consideration 
that  the  most  painful,  and  certainly  the  most  hazardous,  part  ol 
the  journey  was  yet  to  come,  did  not  depress  their  spirits  at  all. 
It  is  due  to  their  character  to  mention  that  they  displayed  mucli 
coura<i;e  in  encounterini;;  the  dan_a;ers  of  the  sea,  magnified  to  them 
by  their  novelty. 

The  shores  between  Cape  Harrow  and  Cape  Flinders,  including 
the  extensive  branches  of  Arctic  and  Melville  Sounds,  and  Ba- 
tburst's  Inlet,  may  be  comprehended  in  one  great  gulf,  whicii  1 
have  distinguished  by  the  appellation  of  George  IV. 's  (^oronation 
Gulf,  in  honour  of  Ilis  Most  Gracious  Majesty,  the  latter  nanif! 
being  added  to  mark  the  time  of  its  discovery.  The  Archipelago 
of  islands  which  fringe  the  coast  from  Copper-Mine  River  to  Point 
Turnagain,  I  have  named  in  honour  of  His  Royal  Highness  the 
Duk^of  York. 

It  may  be  deserving  of  notice,  that  the  extremes  in  temperature 
of  the  sea  water  during  our  voyage  were  53°  and  35°,  but  its  gene- 
ral temperature  was  between  43°  and  48°.  Thi'oughout  our  return 
from  Point  Turnagain  we  observed  that  the  sea  had  risen  several 
feet  above  marks  left  at  our  former  encampments.  This  may, 
perhaps,  be  attributed  lo  the  north-west  gales. 

,  liii<;nst  2f). — Pievious  lo  our  de|)artiu'e  this  morning,  an  assort- 
ment of  iron  materials,  heads,  looking-glasses,  and  other  article^ 
vvere  put  up  in  a  conspicuous  situation  for  the  Ksquiuian\,and  liic 


mm^^ff'^f 


ncluding    ;  m 

and  Ba- 

which  1 

(lonatioi, 

ler  iianu 

iliipelaji;!.    'I 

to  Poini 

ness  till-    J 

i|)t;rature   H 

its  ;j;onc-    H 

lu-  returi!   ■ 

I  several   ■ 

liis  may,  H 

in  assort-  H 

r  articlcii  ■ 

,  anil  the  1 

bounded  by  liia;h  and  steep  banks  of  clay.  Wc  (Micaniped  at  a 
cascade  of  eighteen  oi-  twenty  feet  high,  which  is  produced  by  a 
ritl2;e  of  rock  crossing  l!ie  river,  and  the  nets  were  set.  A  mile 
below  this  cascade  Hood's  Kivcr  is  joined  by  a  stream  half  its  own 
size,  which  I  have  called  James'  Branch.  Bear  and  deer  tracks 
had  been  numerous  on  the  banks  of  the  liver  when  we  were  here 
before,  but  not  a  single  recent  one  was  to  be  seen  at  this  time. 
Credit,  however,  killed  a  small  deer  at  some  distance  inland, 
which,  with  the  addition  of  berries,  furnished  a  deliglitftil  repast 
this  evening.  The  weather  was  remarkul)ly  tine,  and  the  tem- 
perature so  mild,  that  the  musijuitoes  again  made  their  appear- 
ance, but  not  in  any  great  numbers.  Our  distance  made  to-day 
was  not  more  than  six  miles. 

The  next  morning  the  net  furnished  us  with  ten  white  fish  and 
irout.  Having  made  a  further  deposit  of  iron  work  for  the  I'lsqui 
maux  we  pursued  our  voyage  up  tin;  river,  but  the  shoals  and 
rapids  in  this  part  we'^e  so  frequent,  that  we  walked  along  the 
banks  the  whole  day,  and  the  crews  laboured  hard  in  carrying 
the  canoes  thus  lighteneii  over  the  shoals  or  dragging  them  up 
the  rapids,  yet  our  journey  in  a  direct  line  was  only  about  seven 
miles.  In  the  evening  we  encamped  at  the  lower  end  of  a  nar- 
row chasm  through  which  the  river  flows  for  upwards  of  a  n)ile. 
The  w'Uls  of  this  chasm  are  upwards  of  two  hundred  feel  high, 
quite  perjjr-ndicular,  and  in  some  places  only  a  few  yards  apart. 
The  river  precipitates  itself  into  it  over  a  rock,  forming  two  mag- 
nifi''en\.  and  picturesque  falls  close  to  each  other.  'J'he  upper  fall 
ij  about  sixty  feet  high,  and  the  lower  one  at  least  one  hundred, 
but  perhaps  considerablv  more,  for  the  narrowness  of  tiie  chasm 


into  whi  a  it   foil  prev 


tni 


ted  us  from  sooing:  its  bottom,  and  \\r 


35t> 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


1*  ,    ♦>A(i 


'<  ''i  4  It  ff 

*;i'  All'  ',;• 


could  meiely  Hisr-orn  the  top  of  the  spray  Tar  beneath  our  feet. 
The  lower  fnll  is  divided  into  two,  by  an  insulated  column  of  rock 
which  rises  al)out  forty  feet  above  it.  The  whole  descent  of  the 
river  at  this  place  probably  exceeds  two  hundreed  and  fifly  feet. 
The  rock  is  very  ihie  felspathose  sandstone.  It  has  a  smooth  sur- 
face and  a  li<i;ht  red  colour.  I  have  named  these  magnificent  cas- 
cades **  Wilberforce  Falls,"  as  a  tribute  of  my  respect  for  that 
distinguished  philanthropist  and  chrisiain.  Messrs  Back  and  Hood 
took  beautiful  sketches  of  this  majestic  scene. 

The  river  being  surveyed  from  the  summit  of  a  hill,  above 
these  falls,  appeared  so  rapid  and  shallow,  that  it  seemed  useless  to 
attempt  proceeding  any  farther  in  the  large  canoes.  I  therefore 
determined  on  constructing  out  of  their  materials  two  smaller  ones 
of  sufllcient  size  to  contain  three  persons,  for  the  purpose  of  cross- 
ing any  river  that  might  obstruct  our  progress.  This  operation 
was  accordingly  commenced,  and  by  the  i31st  both  the  canoes 
being  finished,  we  prepared  for  our  departure  on  the  following 
day.  . 

The  leather  which  had  been  preserved  for  making  shoes  was 
equally  divided  arnoiig  the  men,  two  pair  of  flannel  socks  were 
given  to  each  person,  and  such  articles  of  warm  clothing  as  re- 
mained, were  issued  to  those  who  most  required  them.  They 
were  also  furnished  with  one  of  the  officers'  tents.  This  beinsj;  done, 
I  communicated  to  the  men  my  intention  of  proceeding  in  as  di- 
rect a  course  as  possible  to  the  part  of  Point  Lake,  opposite  to  our 
spring  encampment,  which  was  only  distant  one  hundred  and 
forty-nine  miles  in  a  straight  line.  They  received  the  communi- 
cation cheerfully,  considered  the  journey  to  be  short,  and  left  me, 
in  high  spirits,  to  arrange  their  own  packages.  The  stores,  books, 
&c.,  which  were  not  absolutely  necessary  to  be  carried,  were  then 
put  uj)  in  boxes  to  be  left  en  cache  here,  in  order  that  the  men's 
burdens  might  bu  as  light  as  possible. 

The  next  morning  was  warm,  and  very  fine.  Every  one  was 
on  the  alert  at  an  early   hour,  being  anxious  to  commence  the 


Journey. 


luggage  consisted  of  ammunition,  nets,  hatchets, 


ice  chisels,  astronomical   instruments,    clothing,  blankets,  three 
kettles,  and  the  two  canoes,  which  were  each  carried  by  one  man. 


t"  if-' 


..^mr.  :h.:,mil:i^M^u 


I  iliip«lli|i||||ii.  Pi 


♦  r 


OF  THE  POLAR  SKA. 


351 


The  officers  carried  such  a  portion  of  their  own  things  as  their 
strcnjijth  vvoiihl  pornnit ;  the  weight  carried  hy  each  man  was  ahout 
ninety  pounds,  and  with  tliis  we  advanced  at  the  rate  of  ahout  a 
mile  an  hour,  including  rests.  In  the  evening  the  hunters  killed 
a  lean  cow,  out  of  a  large  drove  of  musk-oxen  ;  but  the  men  were 
too  much  laden  to  carry  more  than  a  small  portion  of  its  flesh. 
The  alluvial  soil,  which  towards  the  mouth  of  the  river  sj)reads 
into  plains,  covered  with  grass  and  willows,  was  now  giving  placC 
to  a  more  barren  j"-^  billy  country  ;  so  that  we  could  but  just 
collect  sufficient  brush  wood  to  cook  our  suppers.  The  part  of 
the  river  we  skirted  to-day  was  shallow,  and  flowed  over  a  bed 
of  sand  ;  its  width  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  yards.  About 
r.i^night  our  tent  was  blown  down  b}'  a  squall,  and  we  were  com- 
pletely drenched  with  rain  before  it  could  be  re-pitched. 

In  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  September  a  fall  of  snow  took 
place;  the  canoes  became  a  cause  of  dilay,  by  the  difficnlty  of 
carrying  them  in  a  high  wind,  and  they  sustained  much  ilainagc 
from  the  falls  of  those  who  had  charge  of  them.  The  face  of 
the  country  was  broken  by  hills  of  moderate  elevation,  but  the 
ground  was  plentifully  strewed  with  small  stones,  whio.li,  to  men 
bearing  heavy  burdens,  and  whose  feet  were  protected  only  by 
soft  moose  skin  shoes,  occasioned  great  pain.  At  the  end  of  eleven 
miles  we  encamped,  and  sent  for  a  musk-ox  and  a  deer,  which  St. 
Germain 'and  Augustus  had  killed.  The  day  was  extremely  cold, 
the  thermometer  varyitig  between  34°  and  36°.  In  the  afternoon  a 
heavy  fall  of  snow  took  place,  on  the  wind  changing  from  north- 
west to  south-west.  We  found  no  wood  at  the  encampment,  but 
made  afire  of  moss  to  cook  the  supper,  and  crept  under  our  blan- 
kets for  warmth.  At  sun-rise  the  thermometer  was  at  31°,  and 
the  wind  fresh  from  north-west;  but  the  weather  became  mild 
in  the  course  of  the  forenoon,  and  the  snow  disa))peared  from  the 
gravel.  The  afterneon  was  remarkably  fine,  and  the  thermonieter 
rose  to  50°.  One  of  the  hunters  killed  a  musk-ox.  The  hills  in 
this  part  are  lower  and  more  round-backed  than  those  we  passed 
yest(;rday,  and  exhibited  but  little  naked  rock  ;  they  were  covered 
witii  lichens. 

Having  ascertained  from  the  summit  of  the  highest  hill  near  thf- 


m 


IH' 


-^ 


"^ 


:358 


A    JOURNICY     TO    TllK    SHOIlKS 


"    ^    '    -Hi   • 


tents,  thiit  the  liver  continued  to  preserve  a  west  course  :  uv.i  loai 
inp;  that  by  pursuing  it  furtlier  v\e  niijiiht  lose  nuich  time,  ami  im 
necessarily  walk  over  a  great  deal  of  ground,  I  deternumd  on 
quitting  its  banks  the  next  day,  and  making  as  directly  as  vnt 
could  lor  Point  Lake.  We  accordingly  Iblloued  the  river  on  the 
3d,  only  to  the  place  where  the  musk-ox  had  been  killed  las) 
evening,  and  after  the  mec*  was  procured,  crossed  the  river  in 
our  two  canoes  lashed  together.  V\'e  now  emerged  from  the  val- 
ley of  the  river,  and  entered  a  level,  but  very  barren,  country, 
varied  only  by  small  lakes  and  marshes,  the  ground  being  covered 
with  small  stones.  Many  old  tracks  of  rein-deer  were  seen  in 
the  clayey  soil,  and  some  more  recent  ones  of  the  musk-ox.  Wc 
encamped  on  the  borders  of  Wiighl's  Itivcr,  which  Hows  to  the 
eastward  ;  Uie  direct  distance  walked  to-day  being  ten  miles  and 
three-quarters.  The  next  morning  was  very  fine,  and  as  the  day 
advanced,  the  weather  became  (juite  warm.  Wc  set  out  at  six 
A.M.,  and  having  forded  the  liver,  walked  over  a  perfectly  level 
country,  interspersed  with  small  lakes,  which  comnuuiieatcd  with 
each  other,  by  streams  running  in  various  directions.  No  lieny- 
bearing  plants  were  found  in  this  part,  (he  surface  of  the  earth 
being  thinly  covered  in  the  nioister  j)laces  with  a  few  grasses,  and 
on  the  drier  spots  with  lichens. 

Having  walked  twelve  miles  and  a  half,  we  cncamperl  at  seven 
P.M.,  and  dislvibutedour  last  piece  of  pemmiean,  and  a  little  arrow 
root  for  sujjper,  which  alVoi'ded  but  a  scanty  meal.  This  evening 
was  warm,  l)ut  dark  clouds  overspread  the  sky.  Our  men  now 
began  to  find  llicir  burdens  very  oppressive,  and  were  much  fa- 
tigued by  this  day's  march,  but  did  not  complain.  One  of  them  was 
lame  from  an  inflammation  in  the  knee.  IJeavy  rain  commenced 
at  niitliiight,  and  contimied  without  intermission  until  five  in  the 
morning,  when  it  was  succeeded  by  snow  on  the  wind  ehani^in}^ 
to  north-west,  which  soon  increased  to  a  violent  gale.  As  we 
had  nothing  to  eat,  and  were  destitute  of  the  means  of  making  a 
fire,  wc  remained  in  our  beds  all  the  day  ;  but  the  covering  of  out 
blankets  was  insuflicient  to  ])rev(Mit  us  from  feeling  the  severity 
of  the  frost,  anti  sidfei'ing  inconvenience  from  llio  di'ifting  of  Ihr 
snow  into  our  tents.     There  was  no  abatement  of  the  storm  tin 


1ip"l»plp""wff^ 


^¥Ws 


^ 


OF    THE   IH)L  AR   SKA. 


J59 


iitxt  (lay  ;  our  Iciits  wore  cotnpletely  frozen,  and  the  snow  had 
hilled  around  them  to  a  depth  of  three  feet,  and  even  on  the  in- 
side there  was  a  covering;  of  sevoial  inches  on  our  hiankets.  Our 
jiilU-rin^;  from  coM,  in  a  comfortless  canvass  tent  in  such  weather, 
willi  the  temperature  at  20°,  and  without  (ire,  will  easily  be  ima- 
:;iiii'd  ;  it  was,  however,  less  than  that  wiiich  we  felt  fion>  hunger. 

The  morning  of  the  7th  cleared  up  a  little,  but  the  wind  was 
still  strong,  and  the  weather  extremely  cold.  From  the  imusual 
continuance  of  the  storm,  we  feared  the  winter  had  set  in  with  all 
its  rigour,  and  that  by  longer  delay  we  should  only  be  exposed  to 
an  acciunulation  of  difriculties ;  we  therefore  prepared  for  our 
journey,  although  we  were  in  a  very  unfit  condition  for  starting, 
being  weak  from  fasting,  and  our  garments  stitfened  by  the  frost. 
We  had  no  means  of  making  a  fire  to  thaw  them,  the  moss,  at  all 
times  dillicult  to  kindle,  being  now  covered  with  ice  and  snow. 
A  considerable  time  was  consumed  in  j)acking  up  the  frozen  tents 
and  bed  clothes,  tin;  wind  blowing  so  strong  that  no  one  could 
keep  his  hands  long  out  of  his  mittens. 

.lust  as  we  were  about  to  commence  our  march,  I  was  seized 
with  a  fainting  fit,  in  conscfjuence  of  exhaustion  and  sudden  ex- 
posure to  the  wind ;  but  after  eating  a  morsel  of  portable  soup,  J 
recovered,  so  far  as  to  be  able  to  move  on.  I  was  unwilling  at 
first  to  take  this  morsel  of  soup,  which  was  diminishing  the  small 
and  only  remaining  meal  of  the  party ;  but  several  of  the  men 
ui^ed  me  to  it,  with  much  kindness.  The  ground  was  covercil  a 
fool  deep  with  snow,  the  margin  of  the  lakes  was  incrusted  with 
ice,  and  the  swamps  over  which  we  had  to  pt^ss  were  entirely 
I'rozen ;  but  the  ice  not  being  sulliciently  strong  to  bear  us,  we 
frequently  plunged  knee-deep  in  water.  Those  who  carried  the 
ciinoes  were  repeatedly  blown  down  by  the  violence  of  the  wind, 
and  they  often  fell,  from  making  an  insecure  step  on  a  slippery 
stone  ;  on  one  of  these  occasions,  the  largest  canoe  was  so  much 
broken  as  to  be  rendered  utterly  unserviceable.  This  was  fell 
as  a  serious  disaster,  as  the  remaininjr  canoe  havini;-  throuo;ii  mis- 
take  been  made  too  small,  it  was  doubtful  whether  it  would  be 
sutVicient  to  carry  us  across  a  river.  Indeed  we  liad  found  it  ne- 
essary  in  crossing  Hood's  Uiver,  to  lash  Iho  two  canoes  together 


r« »  : 


?tM,''rwM'.' 


Ml 


X 


• 


360 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHOULS 


.J  I'M  1 1    ♦  ,  t 


IT' 


As  there  was  some  suspicion  that  Benoil,  who  carried  thn  canoe-, 
'^  had  broken  it  intentionally,  he  having  on  a  former  occasion  beer, 
overheard  by  some  of  the  men  to  say,  that  he  would  do  so  vvlien 
he  got  it  in  charge,  we  closely  examined  him  on  the  point ;  lie 
roundly  denied  having  used  the  expressions  attributed  to  him 
and  insisted  that  it  was  broken  by  his  falling  accidentally  ;  ami  as 
he  brought  men  to  attest  the  latter  fact,  who  saw  him  tumble,  wc 
did  not  press  the  matter  further.     I  may  here  remark,  that  uui 
people  had  murmured  a  good  deal  at  having  to  carry  two  canoes, 
though  they  were  informed  of  the  necessity  of  taking  bolli,  in 
case  it  should  be  deemed  advisable  to  divide  the  party ;  which  it, 
had  been  thought  probable  we  should  be  obliged  to  do,  if  animals 
proved  scarce,  in  order  to  give  the  whole  the  better  chance  of 
procuring  subsistence,  and  also  for  the  purpose  of  sending  forward 
some  of  the  best  walkers  to  search  for  Indians,  and  to  get  them 
to  meet  us  with  supplies  of  provision.     The  power  ol  doing  this 
was  now  at  an  end.     As  the  accident  could  not  be  remedial,  wc 
turned  it  to  the  best  account,  by  making  a  fire  of  the  bark  ami 
timbers  of  the  broken  vessel,  and  cooked  the  remainder  of  our 
portable  soup  and  arrow-root.     This  was  a  scanty  meal  after  three, 
days'  fasting,  but  it  served  to  allay  the  pangs  of  hunger,  and  en- 
abled us  to  proceed  at  a  quicker  pace  than  before.     The  depth  of 
the  snow  caused  us  to  march  in  Indian  file,  that  is,  in  each  other's 
steps  ;  the  voyagers  taking  it  in  turn  to  lead  the  party.     A  dis- 
tant object  was  pointed  out  to  this  man  in  the  direction  we  wis,  <.(l 
lo  take,  and  Mr.  Hood  followed  immediately  behind  him,  to  re- 
new the  bearings,  and  kept  him  from  deviating  more  than  could 
be  helped  from  the  mark.     It  may  be  here  observed,  that  wc 
proceeded  in  this  manner  throughout  our  route  across  the  barrea 
grounds. 

In  the  afternoon  we  got  into  a  more  hilly  country,  where  the 
ground  was  strewed  with  large  s':ones.  The  surface  of  these  was 
covered  with  lichens  of  the  genus  gyrophora,  which  the  Canadi 
ans  term  tripe  de  roche.  A  considerable  quantity  was  gathered, 
and  with  half  a  partridge  each,  (which  were  shot  in  the  course  of 
the  day,)  furnished  us  with  a  slend*^r  supper,  whlcli  we  cooked 
with  a  few  willows,  dug  up  from  beneath  the  snow.     We  passe''. 


4t.t'.>itd».^i«l^ 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


361 


y  comiortlcss  nif^ht  in  our  clamp  clothes,  but  took  the  precaution 
of  sleeping;  upon  our  socks  and  shoes  to  prevent  tliem  IVoni  freez- 
ing.    This  plan  was  afterwards  adopted  throi'«;hout  the  journey. 

At  half  past  five  in  the  morninf:;  we  proceeded  ;  and  after  walk- 
ing about  two  miles,  came  to  Cracroft's  River,  flowing  to  the 
westward,  with  a  very  rapid  current  over  a  rocky  channel.  We 
had  much  difficulty  in  crossing  this,  the  canoe  being  useless, 
not  only  from  the  bottom  of  the  channel  being  obstructed  by 
large  stones,  but  also  from  its  requirins;  gumming,  an  operation 
which,  owing  to  the  want  of  wood  and  the  frost,  we  were  unable 
to  perform.  However,  after  following  the  course  of  the  river 
some  way,  we  eflfected  a  passage  by  means  of  a  range  of  large 
rocks  that  crossed  a  rapid.  As  the  current  was  strong,  and  many 
of  the  rocks  were  covered  with  water  to  the  depth  of  two  or 
three  feet,  the  men  were  exposed  to  much  danger  in  carrying 
their  heavy  burdens  across,  and  several  of  them  actually  slipped 
into  the  stream,  but  were  immediately  rescued  by  the  others. 
Junius  went  farther  up  the  liver  in  search  of  a  better  crossing 
place,  and  did  not  rejoin  us  to-day.  As  several  of  the  party  were 
drenched  from  head  to  foot,  and  we  were  all  wet  to  the  middle, 
our  clothes  bcome  stiff  with  the  frost,  and  we  walked  with  much 
pain  for  the  remainder  of  the  day.  The  march  was  continued  to 
a  late  hour,  being  anxious  to  rejoin  the  hunters  who  had  gone  be- 
fore, but  we  were  obliged  to  en*  imp  at  the  end  of  ten  miles  and 
a  quarter,  without  seeing  them,  ^ur  only  meal  to-day  consisted 
of  a  partridge  each,  (which  the  hunters  shot,)  mixed  with  tripe  de 
roche.  This  repast,  althougli  scanty  for  men  w  ith  appetites  such 
as  our  daily  fatigue  created,  pro\ <^d  a  cheerful  one,  and  was  re- 
ceived with  thankfulness.  Most  of  the  men  had  to  sleep  in  the 
open  air,  in  consequence  of  the  absence  of  Credit,  who  carried 
their  tent ;  but  we  fortunately  found  an  unusual  quantity  of  roots 
to  make  a  fire,  which  prevented  their  suffering  much  from  tlu- 
cold,  though  the  thermometer  was  at  17°. 

We  started  at  six  on  \he  9th,  and  at  the  end  of  two  miles  re- 
gained our  hunters,  vho  w  ere  halting  on  the  borders  of  a  lake 
amidst  a  clump  of  stiintec!  willows.  This  lake  stretched  to  the 
westward  as  far  as  we  could  see,  and  its  waters  were  discharged 

Z   z 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sdaices 

Corporation 


33  VIST  MAIN  STRKT 

WKkSTER.N.Y.  MSSO 

(716)  872-4503 


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63 


A    JOURNEY    TO   THE    SHORES 


by  a  rapid  stream  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  wide.     Beinu;  en 
lire!;    iajnorant  where  we  might  be  led  by  pursuing  the  course  ol 
the  lake,  and  dreading  the  idea  of  going  a  mile  unnecessarily  out 
of  the  way,  we  determined  on  crossing  the  river  if  possible;  and 
the  canoe  was  gummed  for  the  purpose,  the  willows,  furnishing 
us  with  fire.     But  we  had  to  await  the  return  of  Junius  before  we 
could  make  the  traverse.     In  the  mean  time  we  gathered  a  little 
iripe  de  roche,  and  breakfasted  upon  it  and  a  few  partridges  that 
were  killed  in  the  morning.     St.  Germain  and  Adam  were  sei.t 
upon  some  recent  tracks  of  deer.     Junius  arrived  in  the  afternoon, 
and  informed  us  that  he  had  seen  a  large  herd  of  musk-oxen  on 
the  banks  of  Cracroft's  River,  and  had  wounded  one  of  them,  but 
it  had  escaped.     He  brought  about  four  pounds  of  meat,  the  re- 
mains of  a  deer  that  had  been  devoured  by  the  wolves.     The  poor 
fellow  was  much  fatigued,  having  walked  throughout  the  night, 
but  as  the  weather  was  particularly  favourable  for  our  crossing 
the  river,  we  could  not  allow  him  to  rest.     After  he  had  taken 
some  refreshment  we  proceeded  to  the  river.     The  canoe  being 
put  into  the  water  was  lound  extremely  ticklish,  but  it  was  ma- 
naged with  much  dexterity  by  St.  Germain,  Adam,  and  Peltier, 
who  ferried  over  one  passenger  at  a  time,  causing  him  to  lie  flat 
in  its  bottom,  by  no  means  a  pleasant  position,  owing  to  its  leaki- 
ness,  but  there  was  no  alternative.     The  transport  of  the  whole 
party  was  effected  by  five  o'clock,  and  we  walked  about  two  miles 
furthei,  and  encamped,  having  come  five  miles  and  three  quarters 
on  a  south-west  course.     Two  young  alpine  hares  were  shot  by 
St.  Germain,  which,  with  the  small  piece  of  meat  brought  in  by 
Junius,  furnished  the  supper  of  the  whole  party.     There  was  no 
itnpe  de  roche  here.     The  country  had  now  become  decidedly 
hilly,  and  was  covered  with  snow.     The  lake  preserved  its  west- 
ern direction,  as  far  as  I  could  see  from  the  summit  of  the  highest 
mountain  near  the  encampment.     We  subsequently  learned  from 
the  Copper  Indians,  that  the  part  at  which  we  had  crossed  the 
river  was  the  Cungecatha  wha  chaga  of  Hearne,  of  which  I  had 
little  idea  at  the  time,  not  only  from  the  difference  of  latitude,  but 
also  from  its  being  so  much  farther  east  of  the  mouth  of  the  Cop- 
per-Mine River,  than  his  track  is  laid  down.     He  only  makinj; 


'^;. 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


36o 


one  degree  and  three  quarters  difference  of  longitude,  and  we 
upwards  of  four.  Had  I  been  aware  of  the  fact,  several  days' 
harassing  march,  and  a  disastrous  accident  would  have  been  pre- 
vented by  keeping  on  the  western  side  of  the  lake,  instead  of 
crossing  the  river.  We  were  informed  also,  that  this  river  is  the 
Anatessy,  or  River  of  Strangers,  and  is  supposed  to  fall  into  Ba- 
thurst's  Inlet ;  but  although  the  Indians  have  visited  its  mouth, 
their  description  was  not  sufficient  to  identify  it  with  any  of  the 
rivers  whose  mouths  we  had  seen.  It  probably  falls  in  that  part 
of  the  coast  which  was  hid  from  our  view  by  Goulburn's  or  Elliot's 
Islands. 

September  10.— We  had  a  cold  north  wind,  anil  the  atmos- 
phere was  foggy.  The  thermometer  18°  at  five  A.M.  In  the 
course  of  our  march  this  morning,  we  passed  many  small  lakes;  and 
the  ground,  becoming  higher  and  more  hilly  as  we  receded  from 
the  river,  was  covered  to  a  much  greater  ilepth  with  snow.  This 
rendered  walking  not  only  extremely  laborious,  but  also  hazard- 
ous in  the  highest  degree;  for  the  sides  of  the  hills,  as  is  usual 
throughout  the  barren  grounds,  abounding  in  accumulations  of 
large  angular  stones,  it  often  happened  that  the  men  fell  into  the 
interstices  with  their  loads  on  their  backs,  being  deceived  by  the 
smooth  appearance  of  the  drifted  snow.  If  any  one  had  broken 
a  limb  here,  his  fate  would  have  been  melancholy  indeed;  we 
could  neither  have  remairied  with  him,  nor  carried  him  on.  We 
halted  at  ten  to  gather  tripe  de  roche,  but  it  was  so  frozen,  that 
we  were  quite  benumbed  with  cold  before  a  sufficiency  could  be 
collected  even  for  a  scanty  meal.  On  proceeding  our  men  were 
somewhat  cheered,  by  observing  on  the  sandy  summit  of  a  hill, 
from  whence  the  snow  had  been  blown,  the  summer  track  of  a 
man ;  and  afterwards  by  seeing  several  deer  tracks  on  the  snow. 
About  noon  the  weather  cleared  up  a  little,  and,  to  our  great  joy, 
we  saw  a  herd  of  musk-oxen  grazing  in  a  valley  below  us.  The 
party  instantly  halted,  and  the  best  hunters  were  sent  out ;  they 
approached  the  animals  with  the  utmost  caution,  no  less  than  two 
hours  being  consumed  before  they  got  within  gun-shot.  In  the 
mean  time  we  beheld  their  proceedings  with  extreme  anxiety, 
and  many  secret  prayers  were;,  doubtless,  offered  up  for  their  suc- 


Hi, 


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364 


A    JOURNEk'    TO    THK    SHORES 


ty 


Pt^     n  ^-) 


cess.  At  length  they  opened  their  fire,  and  we  had  the  satisfa<;- 
tion  of  seeing  one  of  the  largest  cows  fall ;  another  was  wounded 
but  escaped.  This  success  infused  spirit  into  our  starving  party. 
To  skin  and  cut  up  the  animal  was  the  work  of  a  few  minutes. 
The  contents  of  its  stomach  were  devoured  upon  the  spot,  and 
the  raw  intestines,  which  were  next  attacked,  were  pronounced 
by  the  most  delicate  amongst  us  to  be  excellent.  A  few  willows, 
whose  tops  were  seen  peeping  through  the  snow  in  the  bottom  of 
the  valley,  were  quickly  grubbed,  the  tents  pitched,  and  supper 
cooked,  and  devoured  with  avidity.  This  was  the  sixth  day 
since  we  had  had  a  good  meal :  The  tripe  de  roche,  even  where 
we  got  enough,  only  serving  to  allay  the  pangs  of  hunger  for  a 
short  time.  After  supper,  two  of  the  hungers  went  in  pursuit  of 
the  herd,  but  could  not  get  near  them. 

We  were  detained  all  the  next  day  by  a  strong  southerly  wind, 
and  were  much  incommoded  in  the  tents  by  the  drift  snow.  The 
temperature  was  20°.  The  average  for  the  last  ten  days  about 
24  5°.  We  restricted  ourselves  to  one  meal  to-day  as  we  were  at 
rest,  and  there  was  only  meat  remaining  sufficient  for  the  next 
day. 

The  gale  had  not  diminished  on  the  12th,  and,  as  we  were 
fearful  of  its  continuance  for  some  time,  we  determined  on  going 
forward ;  our  only  doubt  regarded  the  preservation  of  the  canoe, 
but  the  men  promised  to  pay  particular  attention  to  it,  and  the 
most  careful  persons  were  appointed  to  take  it  in  charge.  The 
snow  was  two  feet  deep,  and  the  ground  much  broken,  which 
rendered  the  march  extremely  painful.  The  whole  party  com- 
plained more  of  faintness  and  weakness  than  they  had  ever  done 
before ;  their  strength  seemed  to  have  been  impaired  by  the  recent 
supply  of  animal  food.  In  the  afternoon  the  wind  abated,  and 
the  snow  ceased ;  cheered  with  the  change,  we  prciceeded  forward 
at  a  quicker  pace,  and  encamped  at  six  P.M.,  having  come  eleven 
miles.     Our  supper  consumed  the  last  of  our  meat. 

We  set  out  on  the  13th,  in  thick  hazy  weather,  and,  after  an 
hour's  march,  had  the  extreme  mortification  to  find  ourselves  on 
the  borders  of  a  large  lake,  which  we  subsequently  learned  from 
the  Indians  was  named  Contwoy-to,  or  Rum  Lake;  neither  of  its 


m 


'^■■VT^'^'-^SPBi^. 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


.165 


extremities  could  be  seen,  and  as  the  portion  which  lay  to  the 
east  seemed  the  widest,  we  coasted  along  to  the  westward  portion 
in  search  of  a  crossing-place.     This  lake  being  bounded  by  steep 
and  lofty  hills,  our  march  was  very  fatiguing.     Those  sides  whicl» 
were  exposed  to  the  sun,  were  free  from  snow,  and  we  found 
upon  them  some  excellent  berries.     We  encamped  at  six  P.M., 
having  come  only  six  miles  and  a  half.     Credit  was  then  missing, 
anil  he  did  not  return  during  the  nig;ht.     We  supped  off  a  single 
partridge  and  some  tripe  de  roche ;  this  unpalatable  weed  was 
now  quite  nauseous  to  the  whole  party,  and  in  several  it  produce 
(HJ  bowel  complaints.     Mr.  Hood  was  the  greatest  sufferer  from 
this  cause.     This  evening  we  were  extremely  distressed,  at  dis- 
covering that  our  improvident  companions,  since  we  left  Hood's 
River,  had  thrown  away  three  of  the  fishing-nets,  and  burnt  the 
floats;  they  knew  we  had  brought  them  to  procure  subsistence 
tor  the  party,  when  the  animals  should  fail,  and  we  could  scarcely 
believe  the  fact  of  their  having  wilftilly  deprived  themselves  of 
this  resource,  especially  when  we  considered  that  most  of  them  had 
passed  the  greater  part  of  their  servitude  in  situations  where  the 
nets  alone  had  supplied  them  with  food.     Being  thus  deprived  of 
our  principal  resource,  that  of  fishing,  and  the  men  evidently 
jetting  weaker  every  day,  it  became  necessary  to  lighten  their 
burdens  of  every  thing  except  ammunition,  clothing,  and   the 
instruments  that  were  required  to  find  our  way.     I,  therefore, 
issued  directions  to  deposit  at  this  encampment  the  dipping  needle, 
azimnth  compass,  magnet,  a  large  thermometer,  and  a  few  books 
we  had  carried,  having  torn  out  of  these  such  parts  as  we  should 
require  to  work  the  observations  for  latitude  and  longitude.     1 
also  promised,  as   an  excitement  to  the  efforts  in  hunting,  my 
nun  to  St.  Germain,  and  an  ample  compensation  to  Adam,  or  any 
of  the  other  men  who  should  kill  any  animals.     Mr.  Hood,  on 
this  occasion,  lent  his  gun  to  Michel,  the  Iroquois,  who  was  very 
eager  in  the  chase,  and  often  successful. 

September  14. — This  morning  the  officers  being  assembled 
round  a  small  fire,  Porrault  presented  each  of  us  with  a  small 
piece  of  meat  which  he  had  saved  from  his  allowance.  It  was  re- 
■eived  with  great  thankfulness,  and  such  an  act  of  self-denial  and 


iP.7| 


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30'(i 


A    JOORNEY     lO    THE    SHORLS 


't 


<f- 


kindness,  bein^  totally  unexpected  in  a  Canadian  voyager,  tilled 
our  eyes  with  tears.  In  directing  our  course  to  a  river  issuinc; 
fronn  the  lake,  we  met  Credit,  who  communicated  the  joyful  in- 
telligence of  his  having  killed  two  deer  in  the  morni  ig.  We  in- 
stantly halted,  and  having  shared  the  deer  that  was  nearest  to  us, 
prepared  breakfast.  After  which,  the  other  deer  was  sent  for, 
and  we  went  down  to  the  river,  which  was  about  three  hundred 
yards  wide,  and  flowed  with  great  velocity  through  a  broken 
rocky  channel.  Having  searched  for  a  part  where  the  current 
was  most  smooth,  the  canoe  was  placed  in  the  water  at  the  bead 
of  a  rapid,  and  St.  Germain,  Solomon,  Belanger,  and  I,  embark- 
ed in  order  to  cross.  We  went  from  the  shore  very  well,  but  in 
mid-channel  the  canoe  became  difficult  to  manage  under  our  bur- 
den, as  the  breeze  was  fresh.  The  current  drove  us  to  the  edge 
of  the  rapid,  when  Belanger  unfortunately  applied  his  paddle  to 
avert  the  apparent  danger  of  being  forced  down  it,  and  lost  his 
balance.  The  canoe  was  overset  in  consequence  in  the  middle  oi 
the  rapid.  W^e  fortunately  kept  hold  of  it,  until  we  touched  a 
rock  where  the  water  did  not  reach  higher  than  our  waists;  here 
we  kept  our  footing,  notwithstanding  the  strength  of  the  current, 
until  the  water  was  emptied  out  of  the  canoe.  Belanger  then 
held  the  canoe  steady  whilst  St.  Germain  placed  me  in  it,  and 
afterwards  embarked  himself  in  a  very  dexterous  manner.  It  was> 
impossible,  however,  to  embark  Belanger,  as  the  canoe  would 
have  been  hurried  down  the  rapid,  the  moment  he  should  have 
raised  his  foot  from  the  rock  on  which  he  stood.  We  were,  there- 
fore, compelled  to  leave  him  in  his  perilous  situation.  We  had 
not  gone  twenty  yards  before  the  canoe,  striking  on  a  sudden 
rock,  went  down.  The  place  being  shallow,  we  were  again  en- 
abled to  empty  it,  and  the  third  attempt  brought  us  to  the  shore. 
In  the  mean  time  Belanger  was  suffering  extremely,  immersed  to 
his  middle  in  the  centre  of  a  rapid,  the  temperature  of  which  was 
very  little  above  the  freezing  point,  and  the  upper  part  of  his 
body  covered  with  wet  clothes,  exposed  in  a  temperature  not 
much  above  zero,  to  a  strong  breeze.  He  called  piteously  for  re- 
lief, and  St.  Germain  on  his  return  endeavoured  to  embark  him, 
but  hi  vnin.     The  canoe  was  hurried  down  the  rapid,  and  when 


msm 


Mm 


-'•^m^^ 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


36: 


lie  landed  he  was  rendered  by  the  cold  incapable  of  further  ex- 
ertion, and  Adam  attempted  to  embark  Belanser,  but  found  it 
impossible.  An  attempt  was  next  made  to  carry  out  to  him  a 
line,  made  of  the  slings  of  the  men's  loads.  This  also  fiiiled,  the 
current  actinj*  so  strongly  upon  it,  as  to  prevent  the  canoe  from 
steering,  and  it  was  finally  broken  and  carried  down  the  stream. 
At  length,  when  Belanger's  strength  seemed  almost  exhausted, 
the  canoe  reached  him  with  a  small  cord  belonging  to  one  of  the 
nets,  and  he  was  dragged  perfectly  senseless  through  the  rapid, 
fiy  the  direction  of  Dr.  Richardson,  he  was  instantly  stripped, 
and  being  rolled  up  in  blankets,  two  men  undressed  themselves 
and  went  to  bed  with  him  ;  but  it  was  some  hours  before  he  re- 
covered his  warmth  and  sensations.  As  soon  as  Belanger  was 
placed  in  his  bed,  the  officers  immediately  sent  over  my  blankets 
and  a  person  to  make  a  fire.  Augustus  brought  the  canoe  over, 
and  in  returning  he  was  obliged  to  descend  both  the  rapids,  before 
lie  could  get  across  the  stream  ;  which  hazardous  service  he  per- 
formed with  the  greatest  coolness  and  judgment.  It  is  impossi- 
ble to  describe  my  sensations  as  I  witnessed  the  various  unsuc- 
cessful attempts  to  relieve  Belanger.  The  distance  prevented  my 
seeing  distinctly  what  was  going  on,  and  I  continued  pacing  up 
and  down  upon  the  rock  on  which  I  landed,  regardless  of  the  cold- 
ness of  my  drenched  and  stiffening  garments.  The  canoe,  in  every 
attempt  to  reach  him,  was  hurried  down  the  rapid,  and  was  lost  to 
the  view  amongst  the  rocky  islets,  with  a  rapidity  that  seemed 
to  threaten  certain  destruction;  once,  indeed,  1  fancied  that  I  saw 
it  overwhelmed  in  the  waves.  Such  an  event  would  have  been 
fatal  to  the  whole  party.  Separated  as  I  was  from  my  companions, 
without  gun,  ammunition,  hatchet,  or  the  means  of  making  a  fire, 
and  in  wet  clothes,  my  doom  would  have  been  speedily  sealed. 
My  companions  too,  driven  to  the  necessity  of  coasting  the  lake, 
must  have  sunk  under  the  fatigue  of  rounding  its  innumerable 
arms  and  bays,  which,  as  we  have  learned  from  the  Indians,  are 
very  extensive.  By  the  goodness  of  Providence,  however,  we 
were  spared  at  that  time,  and  some  of  us  have  been  permitted  to 
offer  up  our  thanksgivings,  in  a  civilized  land,  for  the  signal  de* 
livprances  we  then  and  afterwards  expcrionred. 


'4 


m' 


V  ) 


IT 

f'f-^, 

i 


•>'-\ 


It 


ll 


t 


a. 


36& 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THt    SHORES 


m?\ 


?'i:  •  V' 


By  tliis  accident  I  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  my  port-tbliu 
containing  my  journal  from  Fort  Enterprize,  together  with  all  the 
astronomical  and  meteorological  observations  made  during  the 
descent  of  the  Copper-Mine  River,  and  along  the  sea  coast,  (ex- 
cept those  for  the  dip  and  variation.)  I  was  in  the  habit  of  car- 
rying it  strapped  across  my  shoulders,  but  had  talien  it  off  on 
entering  the  canoe,  to  reduce  the  upper  weight.  The  results  ot 
most  of  the  observations  for  latitude  and  longitude  had  been  regis- 
tered in  the  sketch  books,  so  that  we  preserved  the  requisites  for 
the  construction  of  the  chart.  The  meteorological  observations, 
not  having  been  copied,  were  lost.  My  companions.  Dr.  Richard- 
son, Mr.  Back,  and  Mr.  Hood,  had  been  so  careful  in  noting 
every  occurrence  in  their  journals,  that  the  loss  of  mine  could 
fortunately  be  well  supplied.  These  friends  immediately  offered 
me  their  documents,  and  every  assistance  in  drawing  up  another 
narrative,  of  which  kindness  1  availed  myself  at  the  earliest  oppor- 
tunity afterwards. 

September  15. — The  rest  of  the  party  were  brought  across  this 
morning,  and  we  were  delighted  to  tind  Belanger  so  much  reco- 
vered as  to  be  able  to  proceed,  but  we  could  not  set  out  until  noon, 
as  the  men  had  to  prepare  substitutes  for  the  slings  which  were 
lost  yesterday.  Soon  after  leaving  the  encampment  we  discerned 
a  herd  of  deer,  and  after  a  long  chase  a  fine  male  was  killed  by 
Perrault;  several  others  were  wounded,  but  they  escaped.  After 
this  we  passed  round  the  north  end  of  a  branch  of  the  lake,  and 
ascended  the  Willingham  Mountains,  keeping  near  the  border  ot 
the  lake.  These  hills  were  steep,  craggy,  and  covered  with  snow. 
We  encamped  at  seven,  and  enjoyed  a  substantial  meal.  The  party 
were  in  good  spirits  this  evening  at  the  recollection  of  having 
crossed  the  rapid,  and  being  in  possession  of  provision  for  the  next 
day.  Besides  we  had  taken  the  precaution  of  bringing  away  the 
skin  of  the  deer  to  eat  when  the  meat  should  fail.  The  tempera- 
ture at  six  P.M.  was  30*. 

We  started  at  seven  next  morning  and  marched  until  ten,  when 
the  appearance  of  a  few  willows,  peeping  through  the  snow,  in- 
duced us  to  halt  and  breakfast.  Re-commencing  the  journey  at 
noon,  we  passed  over  a  more  rugged  country,  where  the  hills  were 


•  )t     HIK    I'OI.AK    SKA. 


3I>M 


«o|)!irale(l  by  tlti'jj  laviiics,  wliosc  steep  sides  wire  erjiially  (lillicult 
to  iIcsccikI  i)i)(l  to  ascend. 

The  party  was  quite  latij^ued,  and  we  encainpeil,  liavinj;  (M)me 
ten  miles  and  three  (jiiaiters.  We  ohscrvt'd  many  summer  dcei- 
roads,  and  some  rec^ent  tracks.  Some  maiks  that  had  heen  |)iit 
up  by  the  Indians  were  also  notice*!.  We  ha\«;  since  leai'tu.'d  that 
this  is  a  »es:uhir  tieer  |)ass,and  on  that  aecoimt,  annually  frequent- 
ed l)y  llu;  ('o[»pei"  Indians.  The  lake  is  called  by  them  Contwoy- 
to.or  Ktim  Lake,  in  consecpiencc  of  Mr.  l^learne  havin;i!;  I.ere  <i;ivcn 
the  Indians  who  accompanied  him  some  of  that  licpior.  They  do 
not  s;et  (ish  here. 

We  walked  next  day  over  a  more  level  country,  but  it  was 
strewed  witli  laru;e  stones.  'I'hese  j^allcd  om-  feet  a  <;ood  deal ; 
we  contrived,  however,  to  wade  throuu;h  the  snow  at  a  tolerably 
quick  j)ace  until  five  P.lM.,  havino;  made  twelve  miles  and  a  half. 
We  had  made  to-day  our  proper  course,  south  by  east,  which  we 
could  not  venture  upon  doini;  belbre,  for  fear  of  fallinji;  ag;ain  upon 
some  branch  of  the  Contwoy-to.  Some  deer  were  seen  in  the 
morninji;,  but  the  hunters  failed  of  killing;  any,  and  in  the  afternoon 
we  fell  into  the  track  of  a  lar2;e  herd,  which  had  passed  the  day 
before,  but  did  not  overtake  them.  In  consequence  of  this  want 
of  success  we  had  no  lireakfast,  and  but  a  scanty  supper  ;  but  wc 
allnyed  the  pan4>;s  of  hun2;er,  by  eatin<>;  pieces  of  sinfj;ed  hide.  A 
little  tripe  de  ruche  was  also  obtained.  These  would  have  satisfietl 
us  in  ordinary  times,  but  we  were  now  almost  exhausted  by  slender 
tare  and  travel,  and  our  appetites  had  become  ravenous.  We 
jotiked,  however,  with  humble  confidence  to  the  pjreat  Author 
and  Giver  of  all  good,  for  a  continuance  of  the  support  which  had 
hitherto  been  always  supplied  to  us  at  our  irreatest  need.  The 
thermometer  varied  to-day  between  25"  and  2&°.  The  wind  blew 
fresh  from  the  south. 

On  the  ISth  the  atmosphere  was  hazy,  but  the  day  was  more 
pleasant  for  walkinjj;  than  usual.  The  country  was  level  and  gra- 
velly, and  the  snow  very  deep.  We  went  for  a  short  time  along 
;i  deeply  beaten  road,  made  by  the  rein-deer,  which  turned  sud- 
denly ofl'to  the  south-west,  which  was  a  direction  so  wide  of  our 
course  that  vvc  could  not  venture  upon  following  it.   All  the  small 

M  A 


'H 


H,:i5:,,»  -> 


fe,  iff  ■ 

'mm : 


■J''''^»'!'K 


i 


J70 


\    .MtlMlM.N      lo    nil.    .Sllolll''. 


?^^^i/t;i 


lakos  ui;rc  lid/.ni,  aiul  wc  marched  across  those  winch  hiy  m  om 
track.     ^^  «•  supped  oil  the  tri/ir  i/r  ror/ic  which  had  hecii  ji^alhcr 
eil  (hnins;  our  halls  in  the  course  of  the  march.    Thermometer  ,it. 
six  P.M.  :l^'". 

ShowMMs  of  snow  fell  without  intermission  through  the  iii;;ii( 
hut  they  ceased  in  the  mornini;,  and  we  set  out  at  the  usual  hour 
The  men  were  very  faint  from  hunj^er,  and   marched  with  dilli 
culty,  havini;  lo  oppose  a  fresh  hrceze,  and  lo  wade  lhrouf;h  th( 
snow  two  li'et   deej).     We  u;ained,  however,  ten   miles  hy  foui 
o'clock,  and  then  encamped.  The  canoe  was  unfortunately  Ijrokeu 
hy  the  fall  of  the  person  who  liad  it  in  char!i;c.   No  /ripe  de  rorhf 
was  seen  to-day,  hut  in  clearinj;;  the  snow  to  pitch  the  tents  we 
found  a  quantity  of  Iceland  moss,  which  was  hoilcd  for  supper. 
This  weed,  not  having;  heeii  soaked,  ])rovcd  so  hitter,  that  few  of 
the  party  could  (lat  more  than  a  few  spoonfids  of  it. 

Our  hiankets  did  not  sufilcc  this  cveninj:;  to  keep  us  in  tolcral)i( 
warmth  ;  the  sli<;htest  breeze  seeminjj;  to  pierce  throufjh  our  debili- 
tated frames.  The  reader  w'ill,  probably,  he  desirous  lo  know- 
how  wc  passed  our  time  in  such  a  comfortless  situation :  the  fust 
Ojieration  atlei"  encamping  was  to  thaw  our  frozen  shoes,  if  a 
sullicient  lire  could  he  made,  and  dry  ones  were  put  on ;  each 
person  then  wrote  his  notes  of  the  daily  occurrences,  and  eveniu}; 
praters  were  red  ;  as  soon  as  suj;per  was  j)repared  it  was  eaten, 
geueialiy  in  the  dark,  and  wc  went  to  bed,  and  kept  up  a  cheer- 
ful conversation  until  our  hiankets  were  thawed  by  the  heat  of 
our  l»o(!ies,  and  we  had  gathered  sufficient  warmth  lo  enal)lc  tis 
to  fall  asleep.  On  many  nights  we  had  not  even  the  luxury  ol 
going  to  bed  in  dry  clothes,  for  when  the  Ore  was  insufficient  to 
dry  our  slices,  we  durst  not  venture  to  pull  them  oil",  lest  tlicy 
should  freeze  so  hard  as  lo  be  unfit  to  put  on  in  the  morning,  and. 
ihereforc,  inconvenient  to  carry. 

On  i\vt  iiOth  we  got  into  a  hilly  country,  and  the  marching  be- 
came much  more  laborious,  even  the  stoutest  experienced  great 
difficulty  in  climbing  the  craggy  eminences.  Mr.  Hood  was  par- 
ticularly weak,  and  was  obliged  to  relinquish  his  station  of  second 
in  the  line,  \vl)ich  Dr.  Richardson  now  took,  to  direct  the  lead- 
ing man  in  keeping  the  aj)pointed  course.     I  was  also  unable  to 


OF    THE    I'Ol.AH    SKA. 


371 


licop  pace  with  (Iuj  men,  who  put  fortli  their  utmost  sj)ee(l,  tMi- 
roiin>netl  hy  the  hope,  which  our  reckon iiij;;  hiid  Icil  its  to  form, 
of  seeiiif;  Point  Lake  in  the  cvenins;,  hut  we  were  ohli^icil  to  en- 
camp without  f^aininjj;  a  view  of  it.  We  had  not  seen  eilh»  i  deer 
or  their  tracks  through  the  day,  an<i  this  circumstanoc,  joined  to 
the  disappointment  of  not  tliscoverinj;;  the  hike,  remhMtuI  our  voy- 
aj;ers  very  despondinsi;,  and  the  meai:;r(!  supper  o^  tripe  dc  roclw 
was  littli?  calculated  to  elevate  their  spirits.  They  now  threaten- 
ed to  throw  away  their  hundles,  and  (|uit  us,  which  rash  art  they 
would  prohahly  have  done,  if  they  had  known  what  track  to  pursue. 

Seplernhcr  'Jl. — We  set  out  at  seven  this  niomina;  in  dark  foi^ii^y 
weather,  and  chan!j;ed  our  course  two  points  to  the  westward. 
The  party  were  very  feehle,  and  the  men  much  dispirited  ;  ue 
made  slow  progress,  having  to  niarch  over  a  hilly  and  very  rug- 
ged country. 

Just  before  noon  the  sun  beamed  throuL'h  the  haze  for  the  first 
time  for  six  days,  and  we  obtained  an  observation  in  latitude  fj5' 
7'  06"  N.,  which  was  six  miles  to  the  southward  of  that  |)arl  of 
Point  Lake  to  which  our  course  was  directed.  JJy  this  observa- 
tion we  discovered  that  we  had  kept  to  the  eastward  of  the  pro- 
per course,  which  may  be  attributed  partly  to  the  difficulty  of 
preserving  a  straight  line  through  an  unknown  country,  unassisted 
by  celestial  observations,  and  in  such  thick  weather,  that  our  view 
was  often  limited  to  a  few  hundred  yards ;  but  chiefly  to  our  to- 
tal ignorance  of  the  amount  of  the  variation  of  the  compass. 

We  altered  the  course  immediately  to  west-south-west,  and 
fired  guns  to  apprize  the  hunters  who  were  out  of  our  view,  and 
ignorant  of  our  having  done  so.  After  walking  about  two  miles 
we  put  up  to  collect  the  stragglers.  Two  partridges  were  killed, 
;iiul  lhes*\  with  some  tripe  deroche,  furnished  our  supper.  Not- 
withstanding a  full  explanation  was  given  to  the  men  of  the  rea- 
sons for  altering  the  course,  and  they  were  assured  that  the  ob- 
servation had  enabled  us  to  discover  our  exact  distance  from  Fort 
Euterprize,  they  could  not  divest  themselves  of  the  idea  of  our 
having  lost  our  way,  and  a  gloom  was  spread  over  every  coun- 
tenance. At  this  encampment  Dr.  Richardson  was  obliged  to  de- 
posit his  specimens  of  plants  and  minerals,  collected  on  the  sea- 


rii 


J7;i 


A    .tuURM.  ^      H>     llJi.     lllKKLS 


- 


'f.i^ 


M  »i 


coasl,  l)L'iiii;  iiiiahic  U)  cany  ihoin  any  I'm-IIkm'.  'I'Iil-  wmv  inaili<  to. 
day  was  livc!  miles  aivl  a  (iiiaitcr. 

St'plemhi't'  a. — After  walking  alxxil  two  miles  this  moriiin... 
wo  came  upon  the  borders  of  a  larj^e  lake,  whose  exlieniilies 
coiilil  not  lie  discerned  in  consequence  (tf  the  density  ol'  ||)|.  ;,t 
mos|  liei'e  ;  hnt  as  its  shores  seemed  (o  appioach  neaier  lo  lii,.), 
other  to  the  sontliward  than  lo  the  northward,  we  delerniiin  d  oi, 
Iracinu;  it  in  that  direction.  We  were  t^rieved  at  lindinu;  tlie  bki 
expand  M-ry  ninch  beyond  the  contracted  pari  we  had  fnM.  !-((ii, 
and  incliiK'  now  lo  the  eastward  of  south.  As  it  w:is  considered 
niori'  than  prohahle,  from  llu;  direction  and  size  of  tlie  ImmIv  oi 
Avater  ue  wire  now  lia'iiii':,  that  il  was  a  hi'anch  of  Point  Like; 
anil  as,  in  any  case,  we  knew  that  hy  passing;  round  its  south  'mkI. 
we  must  shortly  come  to  the  Copper  Mine  Uiver.  our  course  wa^ 
continued  in  that  liiiedion.  The  a|)pearance  of  some  dwarf  pine? 
and  willows,  lar!:;er  tjnui  usual,  induced  us  to  sup|)ose  Ihe  river 
was  near.  Wt;  encani|)ed  early,  having;  come  ei^ht  miles.  t)ut 
supper  consisted  of  fri/jc  de  ror/ie  and  half  a  partri(l<i;e  each. 

Our  progress  next  day  was  extremely  slow,  from  the  diflicidty 
of  manajriiiij;  the  canoe  in  passing  over  the  hilU,  as  the  breeze  was 
fresh.  Peltiei',  who  had  it  in  eharije,  havinu"  received  several 
severe  falls,  became  impatient,  and  insisted  on  leaving;  his  burden, 
as  it  had  already  been  much  injincd  by  the  accidents  of  this  day ; 
and  no  ar«;uments  we  could  use  were  sulVicient  lo  prevail  on  him 
to  continue  carry iM<«:  if.  Vaillant  was,  therefore,  directed  to  take 
it,  and  we  proceedeil  for"-ard.  llavintc  found  he  sjot  on  very  well, 
and  was  walking;  even  fasH'.'  than  Mr.  Hood  could,  in  his  present 
debilitated  state,  I  pushed  forward  to  stop  the  rest  of  the  party, 
wlio  had  <i;ot  out  of  our  sijiht  during;  the  delay  which  the  discus!<!oii 
about  the  canoe  had  occasioned.  1  accidentally  passed  the  bculy 
of  the  men,  and  followed  the  tracks  of  two  peisons,  who  had 
separated  from  Ihe  rest,  until  two  1'  iV]..  when,  not  seeinji  any 
person,!  retraced  my  steps,  and  on  my  way  met  Dr.  Richardson, 
who  had  also  missed  the  partv  whilst  he  was  employed  ^alheiiui; 
tripe  de  roche.  and  we  went  b;iok  toi'dher  in  search  of  thein. 
We  found  thev  had  ln\!te<!  anions;  sonu;  willows,  wdicre  they  had 
picked  up  some  pieces  of  skin,  and  a  lew  bones  of  deer  that  had 


01    ihi.  j'or.AH  sE.\. 

iitii  il.'\oiir»:(l  l)\  111.;  wolves  last  spring;.  Thtiy  liail  rendercil  llie 
iiiiiics  iVialtli:  l)\  huiiiiiiu;.  <iii(i  I iiU-n  ilv.Mii,  as  well  us  thu  skin  ; 
mil  sevcMiil  of  lliciii  IwkI  addctl  tluMr  olil  shoes  to  the  ie|)ast. 
I'eilit^r  and  V  aillaiit  were  with  tiiem,  haviiij;  left  the  canoe,  which, 
lluy  said,  was  so  coniplelcly  hroktsn  hy  another  I'all,  as  to  he  leiv 
Icrctl  iiica|(idile  of  repair,  and  entirely  useless.  Tho  anu;iiisli  this 
;iilrlliij:(!nco  occasioned  may  he  conceived,  hut  it  is  heyond  my 
!)OW(,T  t(»  descrd)e  it.  Impressed,  however,  with  the  necessity  ol 
;;ilvMij^  it  iorwai'd.  (sven  in  tin.'  slate  these  men  representeil  it  to  he, 
we  lUf^cnlly  desired  them  to  I'etcli  it ;  hut  they  declined  ^oinu;,  and 
the  stren<>;th  of  the  oflicers  was  inadeqnate  to  the  task.  To  their 
nfatnated  ohstinacy  on  this  occasion,  a  ifieat  portion  (/  the  melan- 
cliolv  circnnistances  which  attemled  onr  suhsecpient  priip;ress  may, 
perhaps,  be  attributed.  The  men  now  seemed  to  have  lost  all 
hope  of  heinn  preserved  :  and  all  the  aricnments  we  could  use 
failed  in  stimnlalinv!:  them  to  tlie  least  exertion.  After  consuming 
the  remains  of  the  hones  and  horns  of  the  deer  we  resuined  our 
march,  and,  in  the  evemnj;,  reached  a  contracted  part  of  the  lake, 
which  perceivinir  to  he  shallow,  we  forde<l  and  encamped  on  the 
opposite  side.  Heavy  rain  hcij;an  soon  afterwards,  ami  continued 
ill  the  ni<;ht.  On  the  foUowiu'^  inorninij;  the  rain  had  so  wasted 
the  snow,  that  the  tracks  of  Mr.  Hack  and  his  companions,  who 
had  none  before  with  the  hunters,  were  traced  with  flilliculty  ; 
and  the  frequent  showers  during  the  day  almost  obliterated  them. 
The  men  bficame  furious  at  the  apprehension  of  being  deserted  hy 
the  hunters,  and  some  of  the  strongest  throwing  down  their  bun- 
illes.  prepared  to  set  out  after  them,  intending  to  leave  the  more 
weak  to  follow  as  they  could.  The  entreaties  and  threats  of  the 
ufficers,  however,  prevented  their  executing  this  mad  scheme; 
but  not  before  Solomon  lielanger  was  despatched  with  orders  for 
Mr.  Back  to  halt  until  we  should  join  him.  Soon  afterwards  a 
thick  fog  came  on,  but  we  continued  our  march  and  overtook  Mr. 
IWk,  who  had  been  detained  in  consequence  of  his  companions 
having  followed  some  recent  tracks  of  deer.  After  halting  an 
hour,  during  which  we  refreshed  ourselves  with  eating  our  old 
shoes  and  a  few  scraps  of  leather,  we  set  forward  in  the  hope  of 
:tscertaining  whether  an  adjoining  piece  of  water  was  the  Cop- 


374 


\    JOURNEY    TO    THL    SHORLS 


4:  vi 


per-Mlne  River  or  not,  but  were  soon  compelled  to  reluni  ainl 
encamp,  for  fear  of  a  separation  of  the  party,  as  we  could  not  see 
each  other  at  ten  yards'  distance.  The  fog  diminishing  towards  the 
evening,  Augustus  was  sent  to  examine  the  water,  but  havini; 
lost  his  way  he  did  not  reach  the  tents  before  midnight,  when 
he  brought  the  information  of  its  being  a  lake.  We  supped  upon 
tripe  de  rochc,  and  enjoyed  a  comfortable  tire,  having  found 
some  pines,  seven  or  eight  feet  high,  in  a  valley  near  the  encamp- 
ment. 

The  bounty  of  Providence  was  most  seasonably  manifested  to 
us  next  morning,  in  our  killing  five  small  deer  out  of  a  herd, 
which  came  in  sight  as  we  were  on  the  point  of  starting.  This 
unexpected  supply  reanimated  the  drooping  spirits  of  our  men, 
and  fdled  every  heart  with  gratitude.  ,      , 

The  voyagers  instantly  petitioned  for  a  day's  rest,  which  we 
were  most  reluctant  to  grant,  being  aware  of  the  importance  of 
every  moment  at  this  critical  period  of  our  journey.  But  they 
so  earnestly  and  strongly  pleaded  their  recent  suHerings,  and  their 
conviction,  that  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  two  substantial  meals,  after 
eight  days'  famine,  would  enable  them  to  proceed  next  day  more 
vigorously,  that  we  could  not  resist  their  entreaties.  The  tlesh, 
the  skins,  and  even  the  contents  of  the  stomachs  of  the  deer  were 
equally  distributed  among  the  party  by  Mr.  ilootl,  who  had  vo- 
lunteered, on  the  departure  of  Mr.  Wentzel,  to  perform  the  duty 
of  issuing  the  provision.  This  invidious  task  he  had  all  along 
performed  with  great  impartiality,  but  seldom  without  proauciiig 
some  grumbling  amongst  the  Canadians;  and  on  the  present  occa- 
sion, the  hunters  were  displeased  that  the  heads,  and  some  other 
parts,  had  not  been  added  to  their  portions.  It  is  proper  to  re 
mark,  that  Mr.  Hood  always  took  the  smallest  portion  for  his 
own  mess,  but  this  weighed  little  with  these  men,  as  long  as  theii 
own  appetites  remained  unsatisfied.  We  all  sufl'ered  much  incon- 
venience from  eating  animal  food  after  our  long  abstinence,  but 
particularly  those  men  who  indulged  themselves  beyond  modera- 
tion. We  learned,  in  the  evening,  that  the  Canadians,  with  their 
usual  thoughtlessness,  had  consumed  above  u  third  of  tht'ir  |ior 
tions  of  meat.  . 


OF  THE  POLAR  SKA. 


375 


Wc  set  out  early  on  the  2()th,  and,  after  walking  about  three 
miles  alon|j;  the  lake,  came  to  the  river,  which  we  at  once  recog- 
nized, from  its  size,  to  be  the  Copper-Mine.  It  flowed  to  the 
northward,  and  after  winding  about  five  miles,  terminated  in 
Point  Lake.  Its  current  was  swift,  and  there  were  two  rapids 
ill  this  part  of  its  course,  but  in  a  canoe  we  could  have  crossed 
with  ease  and  safety.  These  rapids,  as  well  as  every  other  part 
oi  the  river,  were  carefully  examined  in  search  of  a  ford ;  but 
finding  none,  the  expedients'  occurred,  of  attempting  to  cross  on 
a  raft  made  of  the  willows  which  were  growing  there,  or  in  a 
vessel  framed  with  willows,  and  covered  with  the  canvass  of  the 
tents;  but  both  these  schemes  were  abandoned,  through  the  ob- 
stinacy of  the  interpreters  and  the  most  experienced  voyagers, 
who  declared  that  they  would  prove  inadequate  to  the  convey- 
ance of  the  party,  and  that  much  time  would  be  lost  in  the  at- 
tempt. The  men,  in  fact,  did  not  believe  that  this  was  the  Cop- 
per-Mine River,  and  so  little  confidence  had  they  in  our  reckon- 
ing, and  so  much  had  they  bewildered  themselves  on  the  march, 
that  some  of  them  asserted  it  was  Hood's  River,  and  others  that  it 
was  the  Bethe-tessy,  (a  river  which  rises  from  a  lake  to  the  north- 
ward of  Rum  Lake,  and  holds  a  course  to  the  sea  parallel  to  the 
Copper-Mine.)  In  short,  their  despondency  had  returned,  and 
they  all  despaired  of  seeing  Fort  Enterprize  again.  However, 
the  steady  assurances  of  the  ofticers,  that  we  were  actually  on  the 
banks  of  the  Copper-Mine  River,  and  that  the  distance  to  Fort 
Enterpvize  did  not  exceed  forty  miles,  made  some  impression 
upon  them,  which  was  increased  upon  our  finding  some  bear- 
berry  plants  {arbutus  uva  wsi),  which  is  reported  by  the  Indians 
not  to  grow  to  the  eastward  of  that  river.  Then  they  deplored 
their  folly  and  impatience  in  breaking  the  canoe,  being  all  of 
opinion,  that  had  it  not  been  so  completely  demolished  on  the 
23d,  it  might  have  been  repaired  sufficiently  to  take  the  party 
over.  We  again  closely  interrogated  Peltier  and  Vaillant  as  to 
its  state,  with  the  intention  of  sending  lor  it;  but  they  persisted 
in  the  declaration,  that  it  was  in  a  totally  unserviceable  condition. 
St.  Germain  being  again  called  upon,  to  endeavour  to  construct  a 
canoe  frame  with  willows,  stated  that  he  was  unable  to  make  one 


l'i.I'|--!':iili!< 


■  f% 


im' 


.37fi 


\    JOURNEY    TO    TIIK    SHORKS 


''ill.' 


;!,■•■ 


-■■■.:  •'  »f 


sufliciently  lar}»;e.  It  became  necessary,  therefore,  lo  scurcli  loi- 
pines  of  sufficient  size  lo  form  a  raft ;  and  beinjji;  aware  that  such 
trees  grow  on  the  borders  of  Point  Lake,  we  considered  it  best  to 
trace  its  shores  in  scarcli  of  (hem  ;  we,  therefore,  resumed  om 
march,  carefully  looking,  but  in  vain,  for  a  fonlablc  j)art,  and  on- 
camped  at  the  east  end  of  Point  Lake. 

As  there  was  little  danger  of  our  losing  the  path  of  our  hun 
ters  whilst  we  coasted  the  shores  of  this  lake,  I  deterniineil  oii 
again  sending  Mr.  Back  forward,  with  the  inter|>relers,  lo  liuni 
I  had  in  view,  in  this  arrangetnent,  the  further  object  of  enahlin"^ 
Mr.  Back  lo  get  across  the  lake  wilh  two  of  these  men,  to  convey 
the  earliest  possible  account  of  our  situation  to  the  Indians.  Ac- 
cordingly I  instructed  him  to  halt  at  the  first  pines  he  slioiikl 
come  to,  and  then  prepare  a  raft;  and  if  his  hunters  had  killed 
animals,  so  that  the  party  couKl  be  supported  uhilst  we  were 
making  our  raft,  he  was  to  cross  inmiediately  with  S».  fierniaiii 
and  Beauparlant,  and  send  the  liidia..s  to  us  as  quickly  as  possi- 
ble with  supplies  of  meat. 

We  had  this  evening  the  oain  of  discovering  that  two  of  our 
men  had  stolen  part  of  t!u-  orlicers'  piovisioii,  \vhich  hal  f).>eii 
allotted  to  us  with  strict  impartiality.  This  conduct  was  the  more 
reprehensible,  as  it  was  plain  that  we  were  sulfering,  even  in  a 
iireatcr  desfrec  than  themselves,  from  the  elfects  of  famine,  owins 
to  our  being  of  a  less  robust  iiabit,  and  less  accustomed  to  priva- 
tions. We  had  no  means  of  punishing  this  crime,  but  by  the 
threat  that  they  should  forfeit  their  wages,  which  had  now  ceased 
to  operate.  -  - 

^■-Ir.  Back  and  his  companions  set  out  at  six  in  the  morning,  iind 
we  started  at  seven.  As  the  snow  had  entirely  disappeared,  and 
there  were  no  means  of  distinguishing  the  footstejis  of  stragjjjors. 
I  gave  strict  onlers,  previously  to  our  setting  out,  for  all  the  parly 
to  licep  together:  and  especially  I  desired  the  two  Ksquimatix 
not  to  leave  us,  they  having  often  strayed  in  search  of  the  remains 
of  animals.  Our  people,  however,  through  dcs|)ondency,  ha»l  be- 
come careless  and  disobedient,  and  had  ceased  to  dredd  punish- 
ment, or  hope  for  reward.  Much  time  was  lost  in  halting  and 
firing  guns  to  collect  them,  but  the  labour  of  walking  was  so  much 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


377 


lightened  by  the  disappearance  of  the  snow,  that  we  advanced 
seven  or  eight  miles  along  the  lake  before  noon,  exclusive  of  the 
loss  of  distance  in  rounding  its  numerous  bays.  At  length  we 
came  to  an  arm,  running  away  to  the  north-east,  and  apparently 
connected  with  the  lake  which  we  had  coasted  on  the  22d,  23d, 
and  24th,  of  the  month. 

The  idea  of  again  rounding  such  an  extensive  piece  of  water  and 
of  travelling  over  so  barren  a  country  was  dreadful,  and  we  feared 
that  other  arms,  equally  large,  might  obstruct  our  path,  and  that 
the  strength  of  the  party  would  entirely  fail,  long  before  we  could 
reach  the  only  part  where  we  were  certain  of  finding  wood,  dis- 
tant in  a  direct  line  twenty-five  miles.  While  we  halted  to  con- 
sider of  this  subject,  and  to  collect  the  party,  the  carcass  of  a  deer 
was  discovered  in  the  cleft  of  a  rock  into  which  it  had  fallen  in 
the  spring.  It  was  putrid,  but  it  was  little  less  acceptable  to  us  on 
that  account,  in  our  present  circumstances ;  and  a  fire  being  kindled, 
a  large  portion  of  it  was  devoured  on  the  spot,  affording  us  an  un- 
expected breakfast,  for  in  order  to  husband  our  small  remaining 
portion  of  meat,  we  had  agreed  to  make  only  one  scanty  meal  a 
day.  The  men,  cheered  by  this  unlooked-for  supply,  became  san- 
guine in  the  hope  of  being  able  to  cross  the  stream  on  a  raft  of 
willows,  although  they  had  before  declared  such  a  project  im- 
practicable, and  they  unanimously  entreated  us  to  return  back  to 
the  rapid,  a  request  which  accorded  with  our  own  opinion,  and 
was  therefore  acceded  to.  Credit  and  Junius,  however,  were 
missing,  and  it  was  also  necessary  to  send  notice  of  our  intention 
to  Mr.  Back  and  his  party.  Augustus  being  promised  a  reward, 
undertook  the  task,  and  we  agreed  to  wait  for  him  at  the  rapid. 
It  was  supposed  he  could  not  fail  meeting  with  the  two  stragglers 
on  his  way  to  or  from  Mr.  Back,  as  it  was  likely  they  would 
keep  on  the  borders  of  the  lake.  He  accordingly  set  out  after 
Mr.  Back,  whilst  we  returned  about  a  mile  towards  the  rapid,  and 
encamped  in  a  deep  valley  amongst  some  large  willows.  We  sup- 
ped on  the  remains  of  the  putrid  deer,  and  the  men  having  gone 
to  the  spot  where  it  was  found,  scraped  together  the  contents  of 
its  intestines  which  were  scattered  on  the  rock,  and  added  them 
to  their  meal.     We  also  enjoyed  the  luxury  to-day  of  eating  a 

3  B 


378 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


Pf    •  -  I 


!%f3^l|^ 


large  quantity  of  excellent  blue-berries  and  cran-berries,  (vacci- 
nium  uligivwsum  and  v.  vitis  idaea,)  which  were  laid  bare  by 
the  melting  of  the  snow,  but  nothing  could  allay  our  inordinate 
appetites. 

In  the  night  we  heard  the  report  of  Credit's  gun  in  answer  to 
our  signal  muskets,  and  he  rejoined  us  in  the  morning,  but  we  got 
no  intelligence  of  Junius.  We  set  out  about  an  hour  after  day. 
break,  and  encamped  at  two  P.M.  between  the  rapids,  where  the 
river  was  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  yards  wide,  being  its  nar- 
rowest part. 

Eight  deer  were  seen  by  Michel  and  Credit,  who  loitered  be- 
hind the  rest  of  the  party,  but  they  could  not  approach  them.  A 
great  many  shots  were  fired  by  those  in  the  rear  at  partridges, 
but  they  missed,  or  at  least  did  not  choose  to  add  what  they  killed 
to  the  common  stock.  We  subsequently  learned  that  the  hunters 
often  secreted  the  partridges  they  shot,  and  ate  them  unknown  to 
the  officers.  Some  fripe  de  roche  was  collected,  which  we  boiled 
for  supper,  with  the  moiety  of  the  remainder  of  our  deer's  meat. 
The  men  commenced  cutting  the  willows  for  the  construction  of 
the  raft.  As  an  excitement  to  exertion,  I  promised  a  reward  of 
three  hundred  livres  to  the  first  person  who  should  convey  a  line 
across  the  river,  by  which  the  raft  could  be  managed  in  transport- 
ing the  party. 

September  29. — Strong  south-east  winds  with  fog  in  the  morn- 
ing, more  moderate  in  the  evening.  Temperature  of  the  rapid 
38°.  The  men  began  at  an  early  hour  to  bind  the  willows  in 
fagots  for  the  construction  of  the  raft,  and  it  was  finished  by  seven ; 
but  as  the  willows  were  green,  it  proved  to  be  very  little  buoyant, 
and  was  unable  to  support  more  than  one  man  at  a  time.  Even 
on  this,  however,  we  hoped  the  whole  party  might  be  transported, 
by  hauling  it  from  one  side  to  the  other,  provided  a  line  could  be 
carried  to  the  other  bank.  Several  attempts  were  made  by  Be- 
langer  and  Benoit,  the  strongest  men  of  the  party,  to  convey  the 
^raft  across  the  stream,  but  they  failed  for  want  of  oars.  A  pole 
constructed  by  tying  the  tent  poles  together,  was  too  short  to 
reach  the  bottom  at  a  short  distance  from  the  shore  ;  and  a  paddle 
which  had  been  carried  from  the  sea  coast  by  Dr.  Richardson. 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


379 


did  not  possess  sufficient  power  to  move  the  rait  in  opposition  to 
a  strong  breeze,  which  blew  from  the  opposite  shore.  All  the 
men  suffered  extremely  from  the  coldness  of  the  water,  in  which 
they  were  necessarily  immersed  up  to  the  waists,  in  their  endea- 
vours to  aid  Belanger  and  Benoit ;  and  having  witnessed  repeated 
failures,  they  began  to  consider  the  scheme  as  hopeless.  At  this 
time  Dr.  Richardson,  prompted  by  a  desire  of  relieving  his  suffering 
companions,  proposed  to  swim  across  the  stream  with  a  line,  and 
to  haul  the  raft  over.  He  launched  into  the  stream  with  the  line 
round  his  middle,  but  when  he  had  got  a  short  distance  from  the 
bank,  his  arms  became  benumbed  with  cold,  and  he  lost  the  power 
of  moving  them ;  still  he  persevered,  and  turning  on  his  back, 
had  nearly  gained  the  opposite  bank,  when  his  legs  also  became 
powerless,  and  to  our  infinite  alarm  we  beheld  him  sink.  We  in- 
stantly hauled  upon  the  line  and  he  came  again  on  the  surface, 
and  was  gradually  drawn  ashore  in  an  almost  lifeless  state.  Being 
rolled  up  in  blankets,  he  was  placed  before  a  good  fire  of  willows, 
and  fortunately  was  just  able  to  speak  sufficiently  to  give  some 
slight  directions  respecting  the  manner  of  treating  him.  He  re- 
covered strength  gradually,  and  by  the  blessing  of  God  was  ena- 
bled in  the  course  of  a  few  hours  to  converse,  and  by  the  evening 
was  sufficiently  recovered  to  remove  into  the  tent.  We  then  re- 
gretted to  learn,  that  the  skin  of  his  whole  left  side  was  deprived 
of  feeling  in  consequence  of  exposure  to  too  great  heat.  He  did 
not  perfectly  recover  the  sensation  of  that  side  until  the  following 
summer.  I  cannot  describe  what  every  one  felt  at  beholding  the 
skeleton  which  the  Doctor's  debilitated  frame  exhibited.  When 
he  stripped,  the  Canadians  simultaneously  exclaimed,  "  Ah  que 
nous  sommes  maigres."  I  shall  best  explain  his  state  and  that  of 
the  party,  by  the  following  extract  from  his  journal :  "  It  may  be 
vvortny  of  remark,  that  1  would  have  had  little  hesitation  in  any 
former  period  of  my  life,  of  plunging  into  water  even  below  .^8* 
Fahrenheit;  but  at  this  time  I  was  reduced  almost  to  skin  and 
bone,  and  like  the  rest  of  the  party,  suffered  from  degrees  of  cold 
that  would  have  been  disregarded  whilst  in  health  and  vigor. 
During  the  whole  of  our  march  we  experienced  that  no  quantity 
of  clothing  could  keep  us  warm  whilst  we  fasted,  but  on  those 


f    b 


nm. 


380 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


I 


rm' 


occasions  on  which  we  were  enabled  to  p;o  to  bed  with  full  sto- 
machs, we  passed  the  nic;ht  in  a  warm  and  comfortable  manner." 

In  followinjj;  the  detail  of  our  frien<l's  narrow  escape,  I  have 
omitted  to  mention,  that  when  he  was  about  to  step  into  the  water, 
he  put  his  foot  on  a  dafi;o;er,  which  cut  him  to  the  hone ;  but  this 
misfortune  could  not  stop  him  from  attempting  the  execution  of 
his  jB;enerous  undertaking. 

In  the  evening  Augustus  came  in.  He  had  walked  a  day  and 
a  half  beyond  the  place  from  whence  we  turned  back,  but  had 
neither  seen  Junius  nor  Mr.  Back.  Of  the  former  he  had  seen 
no  traces,  but  he  had  followed  the  tracks  of  Mr.  Back's  party  for 
a  considerable  distance,  until  the  hardness  of  the  ground  rendered 
them  imperceptible.  Junius  was  well  equipped  with  ammuni- 
tion, blankets,  knives,  a  kettle,  and  other  necessaries  ;  and  it  was 
the  opinion  of  Augustus,  that  when  he  found  he  could  not  rejoin 
the  party,  he  would  endeavour  to  gain  the  woods  on  the  west  end 
of  Point  Lake,  and  follow  the  river  until  he  fell  in  with  the  Es- 
quimaux, who  frequent  its  mouth.  The  Indians  too,  with  whom 
we  have  since  conversed  upon  this  subject,  arc  confident  that  he 
would  be  able  to  subsist  himself  during  the  winter.  Credit,  on 
his  hunting  excursion  to-day,  found  a  cap,  which  our  people  re- 
cognized to  belong  to  one  of  the  hunters  who  had  left  us  in  the 
spring.  This  circumstance  produced  the  conviction  of  our  being 
on  the  banks  of  the  Copper-Mine  River,  which  all  the  assertions 
of  the  oflicers  had  hitherto  failed  to  do  with  some  of  the  party; 
and  it  had  the  happy  effect  of  reviving  their  spirits  considerably. 
We  consumed  the  last  of  our  deer's  meat  this  evening  at  supper. 

Next  morning  the  men  went  out  in  search  of  dry  willows,  and 
collected  eight  large  fagots,  with  which  they  formed  a  more  buoy- 
ant raft  than  the  former,  but  the  wind  being  still  adverse  and 
strong,  they  delayed  attempting  to  cross  until  a  more  favourable 
opportunity.  Pleased,  however,  with  the  appearance  of  this  raft, 
they  collected  some  tripe  de  roche,  and  made  a  cheerful  supper. 
Dr.  Richardson  was  gaining  strength,  but  his  leg  was  much  swell- 
ed and  very  painful.  An  observation  for  latitude  placed  the  en- 
campment in  65°  00'  00"  N.,  the  longitude  being  1 12'  20'  00"  W-, 
deduced  from  the  last  observation. 


"Id     V  ■  fr  ;i  i 


OF   THE    POLA.R    SEA. 


3Sl 


5  manner. 


On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  October,  the  wind  was  strong,  »nd 
the  weather  as  unfavotirable  as  before  for  crossing  on  the  raft.  Wo 
were  rejoiced  to  see  Mr.  Back  and  his  part*'  in  the  aficrnooii. 
They  had  traced  the  lake  about  fifteen  miles  farther  than  we  did, 
and  found  it  nndouhte<lly  connected,  as  we  had  supposed,  with  tlie 
lake  we  fell  upon  on  the  22d  of  September,  and  dreading,  as  wo 
had  done,  the  idea  of  coasting  its  barren  shores,  they  returned  to 
make  an  attempt  at  crossing  here.  St.  Ocrmain  now  proposc<l  to 
lAake  a  canoe  of  the  fragments  of  painted  canvass,  in  which  wc 
wrap|)ed  up  our  bedding.  This  scheme  appearing  practicable,  a 
party  was  sent  to  our  encampment  of  the  24lh  and  25th  last,  to 
collect  pitch  amongst  the  small  pines  that  grew  there,  to  pay  over 
the  seams  of  the  canoe. 

In  the  afternoon  we  had  a  heavy  fall  of  snow,  which  continued 
all  the  night.  A  small  quantity  of  tripe  de  roche  was  gathered  ; 
and  Credit,  who  had  been  hunting,  brought  in  the  antlers  and 
back  bone  of  a  deer  which  had  been  killed  in  the  summer.  The 
wolves  and  birds  of  prey  had  picke<l  them  clean,  but  there  still 
remained  a  qujintity  of  the  spinal  marrow  which  they  had  not  been 
able  to  extract.  This,  although  putrid,  was  esteemed  a  valuable 
prize,  and  the  spine  being  divided  into  portions,  was  (listrii)uted 
equally.  After  eating  the  marrow,  which  was  so  acrid  as  to  ex- 
coriate the  lii)S,  we  rendered  the  bones  friable  by  burning,  and  ate 
them  also. 

On  the  following  morning  the  ground  was  covered  with  snow 
to  the  depth  of  a  foot  and  a  half,  aud  the  weather  was  ve-  y  stormy. 
These  circumstances  rendered  the  men  again  extremely  despond- 
ent ;  a  settled  gloom  hung  over  their  countenances,  and  they  re- 
fused to  pick  tripe  de  roche,  choosing  rather  to  go  entirely  without 
eating,  than  to  make  any  exertion.  The  party  which  went  for 
gum  returned  early  in  the  morning  without  having  found  any  ; 
but  St.  Germain  said  he  could  still  make  the  canoe  with  the  wil- 
lows covered  with  the  canvass,  and  removed  with  Adam  to  a 
clump  of  willows  for  that  purpose.  IVIr.  Back  accompanied  them 
to  stimulate  his  exertion,  as  we  feared  the  lowness  of  his  spirits 
'vould  cause  him  to  be  slow  in  his  operations.     Augustus  went  to 


■It 


3b'4 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


fish  at  the  rapid,  but  a  large  trout  having  carried  away  his  bait,  we 
had  nothing  to  replace  it. 

The  snow  storm  continued  all  the  night,  and  during  the  fore- 
noon of  the  3d,     Having  persuaded  the  people  to  gather  some 
iripe  de  roche,  I  partook  of  a  meal  with  them ;  and  afterwards 
set  out  with  the  intention  of  going  to  St.  Germain  to  hasten  his 
operations,  but  though  he  was  only  three  quarters  of  a  mile  dis- 
tant, 1  spent  three  hours  in  a  vain  attempt  to  reach  him,  my 
strength  being  unequal  to  the  labour  of  wading  through  the  deep 
snow  ;  and  1  returned  quite  exhausted,  and  much  shaken  by  the 
numerous  falls  I  had  got.  My  associates  were  all  in  the  same  de- 
bilitated state,  and  poor  Hood  was  reduced  to  a  perfect  shadow, 
from  the  severe  bowel  complaints  which  the  tripe  deroche  never 
failed  to  give  him.    Back  was  so  feeble  as  to  require  the  support  of 
a  stick  in  walking ;  and  Dr.  Richardson  had  lameness  superadded 
to  weakness.     The  voyagers  were  somewhat  stronger  than  our- 
selves, but  more  indisposed  to  exertion,  on  account  of  their  despon- 
dency.    The  sensation  of  hunger  was  no  longer  felt  by  any  of 
us,  yet  we  were  scarcely  able  to  converse  upon  any  other  sub- 
ject than  the  pleasures  of  eating.     We  were  much  indebted  to 
Hepburn  at  this  crisis.     The  officers  were  unable  from  weakness 
to  gather  tripe  de  roche  themselves,  and  Samandre,  who  had 
acted  as  our  cook  on  the  journey  from  the  coast,  sharing  in  the 
despair  of  the  rest  of  the  Canadians,  refused  to  make  the  slightest 
exertions.     Hepburn,  on  the  contrary,  animated  by  a  firm  reli- 
ance on  the  beneficence  of  the  Supreme  Bieing,  tempered  with 
resignation  to  his  will,  was  indefatigable  in  his  exertions  to  serve 
us,  and  daily  collected  all  the  tripe  de  roche  that  was  used  in 
the  officers'  mess.    Mr.  Hood  could  not  partake  of  this  miserable 
fare,  and  a  partridge  which  had  been  reserved  for  him  was,  1  lament 
to  say,  this  day  stolen  by  one  of  the  men. 

October  4. — The  canoe  being  finished,  it  was  brought  to  the 
encampment,  and  the  whole  party  being  assembled  in  anxious  ex- 
pectation  on  the  beach,  St.  Germain  embarked,  and  amidst  our 
prayers  for  his  success,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  opposite  shore. 
The  canoe  was  then  drawn  back  again,  and  another  person  trans- 
ported, and  in  this  manner,  by  drawing  it  backwards  and  far 


mm 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


,183 


ivards,  they  were  all  conveyed  over  without  any  serious  accident. 
By  these  frequent  traverses  the  canoe  was  materially  injured  ;  and 
latterly  it  filled  each  time  with  water  before  reaching  the  shore, 
so  that  all  our  garments  and  hedding  were  wet,  and  there  was  not 
a  sufficiency  of  willows  upon  the  side  on  which  we  now  were,  to 
make  a  fire  to  dry  them. 

That  no  time  might  be  lost  in  procuring  relief,  I  immediately 
despatched  Mr.  Back  with  St.  Germain,  Solomon  Belanger,  and 
Beauparlant,  to  search  for  the  Indians,  directing  him  to  go  to  Fort 
Enterprize,  where  we  expected  they  would  be,  or  where,  at  least, 
a  note  from  Mr.  Wentzel  would  be  found  to  direct  us  in  our 
search  for  them.  If  St.  Germain  should  kill  any  animals  on  his 
way,  a  portion  of  the  meat  was  to  be  put  up  securely  for  us,  and 
conspicuous  marks  placed  over  it. 

It  is  impossible  to  imagine  a  more  gratifying  change  than  was 
produced  in  our  voyagers  after  we  were  all  safely  landed  on  the 
southern  banks  of  the  river.  Their  spirits  immediately  revived, 
each  of  them  shook  the  officers  cordially  by  the  hand,  and  de- 
clared they  now  considered  the  worst  of  their  difficulties  over,  as 
they  did  not  doubt  of  reaching  Fort  Enterprize  in  a  few  days, 
even  in  their  feeble  condition.  We  had  indeed  every  reason  to 
be  grateful,  and  our  joy  would  have  been  complete  were  it  not 
mingled  with  sincere  regret  at  the  separation  of  our  poor  Esqui- 
maux, the  faithful  Junius. 

The  want  of  tripe  de  roche  caused  us  to  go  supperless  to  bed. 
Showers  of  snow  fell  frequently  during  the  night.  The  breeze 
was  light  next  morning,  the  weather  cold  and  clear.  We  were 
all  on  foot  by  day-break,  btii  from  the  frozen  state  of  our  tents 
and  bed  clothes,  it  was  long  before  the  bundles  could  be  made. 
and  as  usual  the  men  lingered  over  a  small  fire  they  had  kindled, 
so  that  it  was  eight  o'clock  before  we  started.  Our  advance  from 
the  depth  of  the  snow  was  slow,  and  about  noon  coming  to  a  spot 
where  there  was  some  tripe  de  roche,  we  stopped  to  collect  it,  and 
breakfasted.  Mr.  Hood,  who  was  now  very  feeble,  and  Dr.  Rich- 
ardson, who  attached  himself  to  him,  walked  together  at  a  gentle 
pace  in  the  rear  of  the  party.  I  kept  with  the  foremost  men,  to 
"ause  them  to  halt  occasionally,  until  the  stragglers  came  up.  Re 


■  u 


1 


mi, 


iiHlHf' 


384 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORES 


'U\ 


W 


•;« ; 


''/.■■■"I 


%^)f^^ 


suming  our  inarch  after  breakfast,  we  followed  the  track  ol  Mj 
Back's  party,  and  encamped  early,  an  all  of  us  were  much  fa- 
tigued, particularly  Credit,  who  having  to-day  carried  the  men's 
tent,  it  being  his  turn  to  do  so,  was  so  exhausted,  that  when  he 
reached  the  encampment  he  was  unable  to  stand.  The  t/ive  de 
rochc  disagreed  with  this  man  and  with  Vaillant,  in  consequence 
of  which  they  were  the  first  whose  strength  totally  failed.  We 
had  a  small  quantity  of  this  weed  in  the  evening,  and  the  rest  ot 
our  supper  was  made  up  of  scraps  of  roasted  leather.  The  dis- 
tance walked  to-day  was  six  miles.  As  Credit  was  very  weak  in 
the  morning,  his  load  was  reduced  to  little  more  than  his  |)ersonal 
luggage,  consisting  of  his  blanket,  shoes,  and  gun.  Previous  to 
setting  out,  the  whole  party  ate  the  remains  of  their  old  shoes, 
and  whatever  scraps  of  leather  they  had,  to  strengthen  their  sto- 
machs for  the  fatigue  of  the  day's  journey.  We  left  the  en- 
campment at  nine,  and  puisued  our  route  over  a  range  of  bleak 
hills.  The  wind  having  increased  to  a  strong  gale  in  the  course 
of  the  morning,  became  piercingly  cold,  and  the  drift  rendered 
it  difficult  for  those  in  the  rear  to  follow  the  track  over  the 
heights,  whilst  in  the  valleys,  where  it  was  sufficiently  marked, 
from  the  depth  of  the  snow,  the  labour  of  walking  was  proper- 
tionably  great.  Those  in  advance  made  as  usual  frequent  halts, 
yet  being  unable  from  the  severity  of  the  weather  to  remain 
long  still,  they  were  obliged  to  move  on  before  the  rear  could 
come  up,  and  the  party,  of  course,  straggled  very  much. 

About  noon  Samandre  coming  up,  informed  us  that  Credit  and 
Vaillant  could  advance  no  further.  Some  willows  being  disco- 
vered in  a  valley  near  to  us,  I  proposed  to  halt  the  party  there 
whilst  Dr.  Richardson  went  back  to  visit  them.  I  hoped  too.  that 
when  the  sufferers  received  the  information  of  a  fire  being  kin- 
dled at  so  short  a  distance,  they  would  be  cheered,  and  use  their 
utmost  efforts  to  reach  it,  but  this  proved  a  vain  hope  The  Doc- 
tor found  Vaillant  about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  the  rear,  much  ex- 
hausted with  cold  and  fatigue.  Having  encouraged  him  to  ad- 
vance to  the  fire,  after  repeated  solicitations  he  made  the  attempt, 
hut  fell  down  amongst  the  deep  snow  at  every  step.  Leaving  him 
■n  this  situation,  the  Doctor  went  about  half  a  mile  farther  back, 


0|-    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


365 


to  the  spot  where  Credit  was  said  to  have  halted,  and  the  track 
being  nearly  obliterated  by  the  snow  drift,  it  became  unsafe  fur 
him  to  go  further.  Returning  he  passed  Vaillant,  who  having 
moved  only  a  few  yards  in  his  absence,  had  fallen  down,  was  un- 
able to  rise,  and  could  scarcely  answer  his  questions.  Being  un- 
able to  afford  him  any  effectual  assistance,  he  hastened  on  to  in- 
form us  of  his  situation.  When  J.  B.  Belanger  had  heard  the 
melancholy  account,  he  went  immediately  to  aid  Vaillant,  and 
bring  up  his  burden.  Respecting  Credit,  we  were  informed  by 
Samandre,  that  he  had  stopped  a  short  distance  behind  Vaillant, 
but  that  his  intention  was  to  return  to  the  encampment  of  the 
preceding  evening. 

When  Belanger  came  back  with  Vaillant's  load,  he  informed 
us  that  he  had  found  him  lying  on  his  back,  benumbed  with  cold, 
and  incapable  of  being  roused.  The  stoutest  men  of  the  party 
were  now  earnestly  entreated  to  bring  him  to  the  fire,  but  they 
declared  themselves  unequal  to  the  task  ;  and,  on  the  contrary, 
urged  me  to  allow  them  to  throw  down  their  loads,  and  proceed 
to  Fort  Enterprize  with  the  utmost  speed.  A  compliance  with 
their  desire  would  have  caused  the  loss  of  the  whole  party,  for  the 
men  were  totally  ignorant  of  the  course  to  be  taken,  and  none  of 
the  officers,  who  could  have  directed  the  march,  were  suffici- 
ently strong  to  keep  up  at  the  pace  they  would  then  walk  ;  be- 
sides, even  supposing  them  to  have  found  their  way,  the  strongest 
men  would  certainly  have  deserted  the  weak.  Something,  how- 
ever, was  absolutely  necessary  to  be  done,  to  relieve  them  as 
much  as  possible  from  their  burdens,  and  the  officers  consulted  on 
the  subject.  Mr.  Hood  and  Dr.  Richardson  proposed  to  remain 
behind,  with  a  single  attendant,  at  the  first  place  where  sufficient 
wood  and  tripe  de  roche  should  be  found  for  ten  days'  consump- 
tion ;  and  that  I  should  proceed..as  expeditiously  as  possible  with 
the  men  to  the  house,  and  thence  send  them  immediate  relief. 
They  strongly  urged  that  this  arrangement  would  contribute  to 
the  safety  of  the  rest  of  the  party,  by  relieving  them  from  the 
burden  of  a  tent,  and  several  other  articles;  and  that  they  might 
afford  aid  to  Credit,  if  he  should  unexpectedly  come  up.  I  was 
'listressed  beyond  description  at  the  thought  of  leaving  them  in 

3C 


386 


A   JOURNEY    TO    TlfE    SHORES 


Id 


m 


such  a  dangerous  situation,  and  lor  a  lon^  time  combated  thtir 
proposal ;  but  they  strenuously  urged,  that  this  step  aflbrded  the 
only  chance  of  safety  lor  tlie  party,  and  I  reluctantly  acceded  to  it. 
The  ammunition,  of  which  we  hiul  a  small  barrel,  was  also  to  be 
left  with  them,  and  it  was  hoped  that  this  deposit  would  be  a  strong 
inducement  for  the  Indians  to  venture  across  the  barren  grounds  to 
their  aid.  V\  e  communicated  this  resolution  to  the  men,  who 
were  cheered  at  the  slightest  prospect  of  alleviation  of  their  pre- 
sent miseries,  and  they  promised  with  great  appearance  of  ear- 
nestness to  return  to  those  oflicers,  upon  the  first  supply  of  food. 

The  party  then  moved  on;  Vaillant's  blanket  and  other  neces- 
saries were  left  in  the  track,  at  the  request  of  the  Canadians, 
without  any  hope,  however,  of  his  being  able  to  reach  them 
After  marching  until  dusk  without  seeing  a  favourable  place  for 
encamping,  night  compelled  us  to  take  shelter  under  the  lee  of  a 
hill,  amongst  some  willows,  with  which,  after  many  attempts, 
we  at  length  made  a  fire.  It  was  not  sufficient,  however,  to  warm 
the  whole  party,  much  less  to  thaw  our  shoes;  and  the  weather 
not  permitting  the  gathering  of  tripe  de  roche,  we  had  nothing  to 
cook.  The  painful  retrospection  of  the  melancholy  events  of  the 
day  banished  sleep,  and  we  shiuldered  as  we  contemplated  the 
dreadful  effects  of  this  bitterly  cold  night  on  our  two  companions, 
if  still  living.  Some  faint  hopes  were  entertained  of  Credit's 
surviving  the  storm,  as  he  was  provided  with  a  good  blanket, 
and  had  leather  to  eat. 

The  weather  was  mild  next  morning.  We  left  the  encamp- 
ment at  nine,  and  a  little  before  noon  came  to  a  pretty  extensive 
thicket  of  small  willows,  near  which  there  appeared  a  supply  of 
tripe  de  roche  on  the  face  of  the  rocks.  At  this  place  Dr.  Rich- 
ardson and  Mr.  Hood  determined  to  remain,  with  John  Hepburn, 
who  volunteered  to  stop  with  thejni.  The  tent  was  securely  pitched, 
a  few  willows  collected,  and  the  ammunition  and  all  other  articles 
were  deposited,  except  each  man's  clothing,  one  tent,  a  sufficiency 
of  ammunition  for  the  journey,  and  the  officer's  journals.  I  had 
only  one  blanket,  which  was  carried  for  me,  akid  two  pair  of 
shoes.  The  offer  was  now  made  for  any  of  the  men,  who  felt 
themselves  too  weak  to  proceed,  to  remain  with  the  officers,  but 


OK    THE    POLAR    SKA. 


JS7 


oone  of  Ihcm  accepted  it.  Michel  alone  felt  some  inclination  to 
do  so.  After  we  had  united  in  thanksgiving  and  prayeiiii  to  Al- 
mighty God,  1  separated  from  my  companions,  deeply  atllicted 
that  a  train  of  meianiSlioly  circumstances  should  have  demanded 
of  me  the  severe  trial  of  parting  from  friends  in  such  a  condition, 
who  had  become  endeared  to  me  by  their  constant  kindness,  and 
eo-operation,  and  a  participation  of  numerous  sulferings.  This 
trial  I  could  not  have  been  induced  to  undergo,  but  for  the  reasons 
they  had  so  strongly  urged  the  day  before,  to  which  my  own 
judgment  assented,  and  for  the  sanguine  hope  I  felt  of  cither  find- 
ing a  supply  of  provision  at  Fort  Enterprize,  or  meeting  the 
Indians  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  that  place,  according  to  my 
arrangements  with  Mr.  Wentzel  and  Akaitcho.  Previously  to 
our  starting,  Peltier  and  Benoit  repeated  their  promises,  to  re- 
turn to  them  with  provision,  if  any  should  be  found  at  the  house, 
or  to  guide  the  Indians  to  them,  if  any  were  met. 

Greatly  as  Mr.  Hood  was  exhausted,  and,  indeed,  incapable  as 
he  must  have  proved,  of  encountering  the  fatigue  of  our  next 
day's  journey,  so  that  I  felt  his  resolution  to  be  prudent,  I  was 
sensible  that  his  determination  to  remain,  was  mainly  prompted 
by  the  disinterested  and  generous  wish  to  remove  impediments  to 
the  progress  of  the  rest  of  the  party.  Dr.  Richardson  and  Hep- 
burn, who  were  both  in  a  state  of  strength  to  keep  pace  with  the 
men,  beside  this  motive  which  they  shared  with  him,  were  in- 
fluenced in  their  resolution  to  remain  ;  the  former  by  the  desire 
which  had  distinguished  hi??  character,  throughout  the  expedition, 
of  devoting  himself  to  the  succoA*  of  the  weak,  and  the  latter 
by  the  zealous  attach r^ent  he  had  ever  shewn  towards  his  officers. 

We  set  out  without  waiting  to  take  any  of  the  tripe  de  roche, 
and  walked  at  a  tolerable  pace,  and  in  an  hour  arrived  at  a  tine 
group  of  pines,  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  the  tent.  We 
sincerely  regretted  not  having  seen  these  before  we  had  separat- 
ed from  our  companions,  as  they  would  have  been  better  suppli- 
ed with  fuel  here,  and  there  appeared  to  be  more  tripe  de  roche 
than  where  we  had  left  them. 

Descending  afterwards  into  a  more  level  country,  we  found  the 
snow  very  deep,  and  the  labour  of  wading  through  it  so  fatigued 


I  I'lS 


"1;,  "■*■*■■; 


i>  I    ..  k'l, 


^  if 


JS8 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


'V: 


M 


B 


W'l 


\^r' 


ni 


.1 


,«;  .  :l 


M 


the  whole  party,  that  we  were  compelled  to  encamp,  after  a  march 
of  four  miles  and  a  half.  Belanger  and  Michel  were  left  far  be- 
In'nd,  and  when  they  arrived  at  the  encampment  appeared  quite 
exhausted.  The  former,  bursting  into  tears,  declared  his  inability 
to  proceed  with  the  party,  and  begged  me  to  let  him  go  back 
next  morning  to  the  tent,  and  shortly  afterwards  Michel  made  the 
same  request.  I  was  in  hopes  they  might  recover  a  little  strength 
by  the  night's  rest,  and  therefore  deferred  giving  any  permission 
until  the  morning.  The  sudden  failure  in  the  strength  of  these 
men  cast  a  gloom  over  the  rest,  which  I  tried  in  vain  to  remove, 
by  repeated  assurances  that  the  distance  to  Fort  Enterprize  was 
short,  and  that  we  should,  in  all  probability,  reach  it  in  four  days. 
Not  being  able  to  find  any  tripe  de  roche,  we  drank  an  infusion 
of  the  Labrador  tea  plant,  (ledum  palvstre,)  and  ate  a  few  mor- 
sels of  burnt  leather  for  supper.  We  were  unable  to  raise  the 
tent,  and  found  its  weight  too  great  to  carry  it  on ;  we,  therefore, 
cut  it  up,  and  took  a  part  of  the  canvass  for  a  cover.  The  night 
was  bitterly  cold,  and  though  we  lay  as  close  to  each  other  as 
possible,  having  no  shelter,  we  could  not  kerp  ourselves  suffi- 
ciently warm  to  sleep.  A  strong  gale  came  on  after  midnight, 
which  increased  the  severity  of  the  weather.  In  the  morning 
Belanger  and  Michel  renewed  their  request  to  be  permitted  to  s;o 
back  to  the  tent,  assuring  me  they  were  still  weaker  than  on  the 
preceding  evening,  and  less  capable  of  going  forward  ;  and  they 
urged,  that  the  stopping  at  a  place  where  there  was  a  supply  of 
tripe  de  roche  was  their  only  chance  of  preserving  life;  under 
these  circumstances,  I  could  xm.  do  otherwise  than  yield  to  their 
desire.  I  wrote  a  note  to  Dr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Hood,  inform- 
ing them  of  the  pines  wc  had  passed,  and  recommending  their 
removing  thither.  Having  found  that  Michel  was  carrying  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  ammunition,  I  desired  him  to  divide  it 
among  my  party,  leaving  him  only  ten  balls  and  a  little  shot,  to 
kill  any  animals  he  might  meet  on  his  way  to  the  tent.  This  man 
was  very  particular  in  his  inquiries  respecting  the  direction  of  the 
house,  and  the  course  we  meant  lo  pursue  ;  he  also  said,  that  if  he 
should  be  able,  ne  would  go  and  search  for  Vaillant  and  Credit; 
and  he  requested  niy  nennission  to  take  Vaillant's  blanket,  if  ho 


OF    THE    POLAR    SKA. 


:?8!> 


jhouM  find  it,  to  which  I  agreed,  and  mentioned  it  in  my  notes  to 
the  officers. 

Scarely  were  these  arrangements  finished,  before  Perrault  and 
Fi  I  tano  were  seized  with  a  fit  of  dizziness,  and  betrayed  other 
symptoms  of  extreme  debiUty.  Some  tea  was  quickly  prepared 
for  them,  and  after  drinking  it,  and  eating  a  few  morsels  of  burnt 
leather,  they  recovered,  and  expressed  their  desire  to  go  forward ; 
but  the  other  men,  alarmed  at  what  they  had  just  witnessed,  be- 
came doubtful  of  their  own  strength,  and,  giving  way  to  absolute 
dejection,  declared  their  own  inability  to  move.  I  now  earnestly 
pressed  upon  them  the  necessity  of  continuing  our  journey,  as  the 
only  means  of  saving  their  own  lives,  as  well  as  those  of  our 
friends  at  the  tent;  and,  after  much  entreaty,  got  them  to  set  out 
at  ten  A.M. :  Belanger  and  Michel  were  left  at  the  encampment, 
and  proposed  to  start  shortly  afterwards.  By  the  time  we  had 
gone  ai)out  two  hundred  yards,  Perrault  became  again  dizzy,  and 
desired  us  to  halt,  which  we  did,  until  he,  recovering,  proposed  to 
march  on.  Ten  minutes  more  had  hardly  elapsed  before  he  again 
desired  us  to  stop,  and,  bursting  into  tears,  declared  he  was  totally 
exhausted,  and  unable  to  accompany  us  further.  As  the  encamp- 
ment was  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  we  proposed 
that  he  should  return  to  it,  and  rejoin  Belanger  and  Michel,  whom 
we  knew  to  be  still  there,  from  perceiving  the  smoke  of  a  fresh 
fire ;  and  because  they  had  not  made  any  preparation  for  starting 
when  we  left  them.  He  readily  acquiesced  in  the  proposition,  and 
having  taken  a  friendly  leave  of  each  of  us,  and  enjoined  us  to 
make  all  the  haste  we  could  in  stnding  relielf,  he  turned  back, 
keeping  his  gun  and  ammunition.  We  watched  him  until  he  was 
near  to  the  fire,  and  then  proceeded.  During  these  detentions, 
Augustus  becoming  impatient  of  the  delay,  hati  walked  on,  and 
we  lost  sight  of  him.  The  labour  we  experienced  in  wading 
through  the  deep  snow  induced  us  to  cross  a  moderate  sized  lake. 
which  lay  in  our  track,  but  we  found  this  operation  far  more  ha- 
rassing. As  the  surface  of  the  ice  was  perfectly  smooth,  we  slipt 
at  almost  every  step,  and  were  frequently  blown  down  by  the 
wind  with  such  force  as  to  shake  our  whole  frames. 

PoorFontano  was  completely  exhausted  by  the  laboiiir  of  mak 


:-'V"' 


390 


A    JOURNEY    to    THE    SHORES 


lh\ 


( M-» 


'i  > 


I  f'A 


ing;  this  traverse,  aoH  we  made  a  halt  until  his  strength  was  re- 
cruited, hy  which  time  the  party  was  benumbed  with  cold.  Pro- 
ceeding  again,  lie  got  on  tolerably  well  for  a  little  time,  but  being 
again  seized  with  faintness  and  dizziness,  he  fell  often,  and  al: 
length  exclaimed  that  he  could  go  no  further.  We  immediately 
stopped,  and  endeavoured  to  encourage  him  to  persevere,  until 
we  should  find  some  willows,  to  encamp;  he  insisted,  however 
that  he  could  not  march  any  longer  through  this  deep  snow  ;  and 
said,  that  if  he  should  even  reach  our  encampment  this  evening 
he  must  be  left  there,  provided  tripe  de  roche  could  not  be  pro- 
cured to  recruit  his  strength.  The  poor  man  was  overwhelmed 
with  grief,  and  seemed  desirous  to  remain  at  that  spot.  We  were 
about  two  miles  from  the  place  where  the  other  men  had  been 
left,  and  as  the  track  to  it  was  beaten,  we  proposed  to  him  to  re- 
turn thither,  as  we  thought  it  probable  he  would  find  the  men 
still  there  :  at  any  rate  he  would  be  able  to  get  fuel  to  keep  iiim 
warm  during  the  night;  and,  on  the  next  day,  he  could  follow 
their  track  to  the  oflicers'  tent;  and,  should  the  path  be  covered 
by  the  snow,  the  pines  wc  had  passed  yesterday  would  guide  him, 
as  they  were  yet  in  view. 

I  cannot  describe  my  anguish  on  the  occasion  of  separating  from 
another  companion  under  circumstances  so  distressing.  There 
was,  however,  no  alternative.  The  extreme  debility  of  the  rest 
of  the  party,  put  the  carrying  him  quite  out  of  the  question,  as  tie 
himself  admitted  ;  and  it  was  evident  that  the  frequent  delays  he 
must  occasion  if  he  accompanied  us,  and  did  not  gain  strength, 
must  have  endangered  the  livts  of  the  whole.  By  returning  he 
had  the  prospect  ot  getting  to  the  tent  where  tripe  de  roclie  could 
be  obtained,  which  agreed  with  him  better  than  with  any  other 
of  the  party,  and  which  he  was  always  very  assiduous  in  gather- 
ing. After  some  hesitation  he  determined  on  returning,  and  set 
out,  having  bid  each  of  us  farewell  in  the  lenderest  manner.  We 
watched  him  with  inexpressible  anxiety  for  some  time,  and  were 
Fejoiced  to  find,  though  he  had  got  on  slowly, that  he  kept  on  his 
legs  better  than  before.  Antonio  Fontano  was  an  Italian,  and  had 
served  many  years  in  De  Meuron's  regiment.  He  had  spoken 
to  me  that  very  morning,  and  after  his  first  attack  of  dizziness, 


■;■! 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


391 


about  his  father;  and  had  bcg;g  d,  that  should  he  survive,  I  would 
take  him  with  me  to  England,  and  put  him  in  the  way  of  reach- 
ing home. 

The  party  was  now  reduced  to  five  persons,  Adam,  Peltier, 
Benoit,  Samandre,  and  myself.  Continuing  the  journey,  wc 
came,  after  an  hour's  walk,  to  some  willows,  and  encamped  under 
the  shelter  of  a  rock,  having  walked  in  the  whole  four  imif-s  and 
a  half.  We  made  an  attempt  to  gather  some  tripe  de  roc/ie,  but 
could  not,  owing  to  the  severity  of  the  weather.  Our  supper, 
therefore,  consisted  of  tea  and  a  few  morsels  of  leather. 

Augustus  did  not  make  his  appearance,  but  we  felt  no  alarm  at 
his  absence,  supposing  he  would  go  to  the  tent  if  he  inissed  our 
track.     Having  fire,  we  procured  a  little  sleep.     Next  morning 
the  breeze  was  lisjht  and  the  weather  mild,  which  enabled  us  to 
collect  some  tripe  de  roche,  and  to  enjoy  the  oidy  meal  we  had 
for  four  days.     We  derived  great  benefit  from  it,  and  walked  with 
considerably  more  ease  than  yesterday.     Without  the  strength  it 
supplied,  we  should  certainly  have  been   unable  to  oppose  the 
strong  breeze  we  had  in  the  afternoon.     After  walking  about  five 
miles,  we  came  upon  the  borders  of  Marten  Lake,  and  were  re- 
joiced to  find  it  frozen,  so  that  we  could  continue  our  course 
straight  for  Fort  Enterprize.     We  encamped  at  the  first  rapid  in 
Winter  River  amidst  willows  and  alders;  but  these  were  so  frozen^ 
and  the  snow  fell  so  thick,  that  the  men  had  great  difficulty  in 
making  a  fire.     This  proving  insufficient  to  warm  us,  or  even 
thaw  our  shoes,  and  having  no  food  to  prepare,  we  crept  under 
our  blankets.     The  arrival  in  a  well  known  part  raised  the  spirits 
of  the  men  to  a  high  pitch,  and  we  kept  up  a  cheerful  conversa- 
tion until  sleep  overpowered  us.     The  night  was  very  stormy, 
and  the  morning  scarcely  less  so ;  but,  being  desirous  to  reach  the 
house  to-day,  we  commenced  our  journey  very  early.     We  were 
gratified  by  the  sight  of  a  large  herd  of  rein  deer  on  the  side  of 
the  hill  near  the  track,  but  our  only  hunter,  Adam,  was  too  feeble 
to  pursue  them.     Our  shoes  and  garments  were  stiffened  by  the 
frost,  and   we  walked  m   great   pain  until  we  arrived  at  some 
stunted  pines,  at  which  we  halted,  made  a  good  fire,  and  procured 
the  refreshment  of  tea.     The  weather  becoming  fine  in  the  after- 


1  'i? ' 


M     * 


Uiin 


'*..' 


L 


F.v. 


1s 


i-Vl 


392 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


noon,  we  continued  our  journey,  passed  the  Dog;-rib  Rock,  and 
encamped  among  a  clump  of  pines  of  considerable  growth,  about 
a  mile  further  on.  Here  we  enjoyed  the  comfort  of  a  lar"-e  fire 
for  the  first  time  since  our  departure  from  the  sea  coast ;  but  this 
gratification  was  purchased  at  the  expense  of  many  severe  falls 
that  we  had  in  crossing  a  stony  valley,  to  get  to  these  pines. 
There  was  no  tnpe  de  roche,  and  we  drank  tea  and  ate  some  of 
our  shoes  for  supper,  ^ext  morning,  after  taking  the  usual  re- 
past of  tea.  we  proceeded  to  the  house.  Musing  on  what  we  were 
likely  to  find  there,  our  minds  were  agitated  between  hope  and 
fear,  and,  contrary  to  the  custom  we  had  kept  up,  of  supporting 
our  spirits  by  conversation,  we  went  silently  forward. 

At  length  we  reached  Fort  Enterprize,  and  to  our  infinite  dis- 
appointment and  grief  found  it  a  perfectly  desolate  habitation. 
There  was  no  deposit  of  provision,  no  trace  of  the  Indians,  no 
letter  from  Mr.  Wentzel  to  point  out  where  the  Indians  might  be 
found.  It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  describe  our  sensations 
after  entering  this  miserable  abode,  and  discovering  how  we  had 
been  neglected  :  the  whole  party  shed  tears,  not  so  much  for  our 
own  fate,  as  for  that  of  our  friends  in  the  rear,  whose  lives  de- 
pended entirely  on  our  sending  immediate  relief  from  this  place. 

I  found  a  note,  however,  from  Mr.  Back,  stating  that  he  had 
reached  the  house  two  days  ago,  and  was  going  in  search  of  the 
Indians,  at  a  part  where  St.  Germain  deemed  it  probable  they 
might  be  found.  If  he  was  unsuccessful,  he  purposed  walking  to 
Fort  Providence,  and  sending  succour  from  thence.  But  he  doubt- 
ed whether  either  he  or  his  party  could  perform  the  journey  to  that 
place  in  their  present  debilitated  state.  It  was  evident  that  any 
supply  that  could  be  sent  from  Fort  Providence  would  be  long  in 
reaching  us,  and  could  not  be  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  afford  any 
assistance  to  our  companions  behind,  and  that  the  only  relief  for 
them  must  be  procured  from  the  Indians.  I  resolved,  therefore, 
on  going  also  in  search  of  them  ;  but  my  companions  were  abso- 
lutely incapable  of  proceeding,  and  I  thought,  by  halting  two  or 
three  days,  they  might  gather  a  little  strength,  whilst  the  delay 
would  afford  us  the  chance  of  learning  whether  Mr.  Back  had 
£een  the  Indians. 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


ayn 


We  now  looked  round  for  the  means  of  subsistence,  and  were 
gratified  to  find  several  deer  skins,  which  had  been  thrown  away 
during  our  former  residence.  The  bones  were  gathered  from  the 
heap  of  ashes,  these  with  the  skins,  and  the  addition  of  tripe  de 
roche^  we  considered  would  support  us  tolerably  well  for  a  time. 
As  to  the  house,  the  parchment  being  torn  from  the  winilows.the 
apartment  we  selected  for  our  abode  was  exposed  to  all  the  rigor 
uf  the  season.  We  endeavoured  to  exclude  the  wind  as  much  as 
possible,  by  placing  loose  boards  against  the  apertures.  The  tem- 
perature was  now  between  15°  and  20°  below  zero.  We  procur- 
ed fuel  by  pulling  up  the  flooring  of  the  other  rooms,  and  water 
for  the  purpose  of  cooking  b}'  melting  the  snow.  VV  hilst  we  were 
seated  round  the  fire,  singing  the  deer  skin  for  supper,  we  were 
rejoiced  by  the  unexpected  entrance  of  Augustus.  He  had  fol- 
lowed quite  a  difibrent  course  from  ours,  and  the  circumstance  of 
his  having  found  his  way  through  a  part  of  the  country  he  had 
never  been  in  before,  must  be  considered  a  remarkable  proof  of 
sagacity.  The  unusual  earliness  of  this  winter  became  manifest  to 
us  from  the  state  of  things  at  this  spot.  Last  year  at  the  same 
season,  and  still  later,  there  had  been  very  little  snow  on  the 
ground,  and  we  were  surrounded  by  vast  herds  of  ;ciu-deer. 
Now  there  were  but  few  recent  tracks  of  these  animals,  and  the 
snow  was  upwards  of  two  feet  deep.  Winter  River  was  then 
open,  now  it  was  frozen  two  feet  thick. 

When  I  arose  the  following  morning,  my  body  and  limbs  were 
so  swollen  that  I  was  unable  to  walk  more  than  a  few  yards. 
Adam  was  in  a  still  worse  condition,  being  absolutely  incapable 
of  rising  without  assistance.  My  other  companions  fortunately 
experienced  this  inconvenience  in  a  less  degree,  and  went  to  col- 
lect bones,  and  some  tripe  de  roche,  which  supplied  us  with  two 
meals.  The  bones  were  quite  acrid,  and  the  soup  extracted  from 
them  excoriated  the  mouth  if  taken  alone,  but  it  was  somewhat 
milder  when  boiled  with  tripe  de  roche,  and  we  even  thought  the 
mixture  palatable,  with  the  addition  of  salt,  of  which  a  cask  had 
been  fortunately  left  here  in  the  spring.  Augustus  to-day  set  two 
fishing  lines  below  the  rapid.  On  his  way  thithrr  he  saw  two 
deer,  but  had  not  strength  to  follow  them. 
.  J  n 


llUffl 


V&ih 


.J  94 


A  .luUKMiY   lo  Tnr.  shork:. 


Hi 


m 


!hl 


i  y/"'  ''i   ■»  i 


I 


On  the  l.'Uh  tlic  wind  bluw  violently  IVom  south-east,  ami  ilu 
snow  (h'iltcd  so  ninch,  that  the  party  was  contincd  to  the  iiousc. 
In  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day  Belan}:;er  arrived  with  a  note 
from  INlr.  Hack,  stating;  that  he  had  seen  no  trace  of  the  Indian;, 
and  desirin*;"  further  instructions  as  lo  the  course  he  should  pursue. 
Belan«:;cr's  situation,  however,  required  our  lirst  care,  as  he  cann 
in  almost  speechless,  and  covered  with  ice,  having  fallen  into  a 
rapid,  and,  for  the  third  time  since  we  left  the  coast,  narrovvK 
escaped  drowning.  He  did  not  recover  sulliciently  to  answer  our 
questions,  until  we  had  rubbeil  him  for  some  time,  changed  hi^ 
dress,  and  given  him  some  warm  soup.  My  companions  nurseci 
him  with  the  greatest  kindness,  and  tlie  desire  of  restoring  hint  to 
health  seemed  to  ahsorh  all  regard  for  their  own  situation.  I  wit 
nessetl  with  peculiar  pleasure  this  conduct,  so  difl'erent  from  tha' 
whicli  they  had  recently  pursued,  when  every  tender  feeling  was 
susj)endcd  by  the  desire  of  self-preservation.  They  now  no  longei 
betrayetl  impatience  or  despondency,  but  were  composed  anil 
cheerful,  and  had  entirely  given  up  the  practice  of  swearing,  to 
wiiicii  the  Canadian  voyagers  are  so  lamentably  addicted.  Our 
conversation  naturally  turned  upon  the  prospect  of  getting  relief, 
imd  upon  the  means  which  were  best  adapted  for  obtaining  it, 
The  absence  of  all  traces  of  Indians  on  Winter  River,  convinced 
me  tiiat  they  were  at  this  time  on  the  way  to  Fort  Providence. 
and  that  by  proceeding  towards  that  post  we  should  overtake 
them,  as  they  move  slowly  when  they  have  their  families  wilji 
them.  This  route  also  offered  us  the  prospect  of  killing  deer,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Rein  deer  Lake,  in  which  neighbourhood,  our  nieu 
in  their  journeys  to  and  fro  last  winter,  had  always  found  Ihem 
abundant.  I'pon  these  grounds  1  determined  on  taking  the  route 
10  Fort  Proviiicncc  as  soon  as  possible,  and  wrote  to  Mr.  Back 
desiring  him  lo  Join  me  at  Rein-deer  Lake,  and  detailing  the  occur- 
rences since  we  had  parted,  that  our  friends  might  receive  reliel. 
in  case  of  any  accident  happening  to  mo. 

Bclanger  did  noi  recover  sullicicnt  strength  to  leave  us  bcfon 
the  18th.  His  answers  us  ti  tiie  exact  part  of  Round-Rock  l-.akc' 
in  wliich  he  had  left  Mr.  Back,  were  very  unsatisfactory;  and  vvc 
rould  onlv  collect  that  it  was  at  t  considerable  distance,  and  lir 


OF    THE    POLAK    SEA. 

was  still  p;oinf;  on  with  tlie  intention  of  haltins;  at  the  place  where 
Akaitcho  was  encamped  last  summer,  about  thirty  miles  ofl".  This 
distance  appeared  so  ji^reat,  that  I  told  Bclanf!;er  it  was  very  un- 
safe for  him  to  attempt  it  alone,  and  that  he  would  he  several  days 
III  accomplishing  it.  He  stated,  however,  that  as  the  track  was 
beaten,  he  should  experience  little  fatigue,  and  seemed  so  conli- 
tlcnt,  that  I  suffered  him  to  depart  with  a  supply  of  singci!  hide. 
Next  day  I  received  information  which  explaincil  why  he  was 
so  unwilling  to  acquaint  us  with  the  situation  of  Mr.  Back's  party. 
He  dreaded  that  I  should  resolve  upon  joining  it,  when  our 
numbers  would  be  so  great  as  to  consume  at  once  every  thing 
St.  Germain  might  kill,  if  by  accident  he  should  he  successful  in 
hunting.  He  even  endeavoured  to  entice  away  our  other  hunter 
Adam,  and  proposed  to  Idm  to  carry  off"  the  only  kettle  we  had, 
and  without  which  we  could  not  have  subsisted  two  days.  Adam's 
inability  to  move,  however,  precluded  him  from  agreeing  to  the 
proposal,  but  he  could  assign  no  reason  for  not  acquainting  mc 
with  it,  previous  to  Belanger's  departure.  1  was  at  fust  inclined 
to  consider  the  whole  matter  as  ai  fiction  of  Adams's,  but  he  per- 
sisted in  his  story  without  wavering ;  and  Belanger,  when  we  met 
again,  confessed  that  every  part  of  it  was  true.  It  is  painful  to 
have  to  record  a  fact  so  derogatory  to  human  nature,  but  I  have 
deemed  it  proper  to  mention  it,  to  shew  the  difficulties  we  had 
to  contend  with,  and  the  effect  which  distress  had  in  warping  the 
feelings  and  understanding  of  the  most  diligent  and  obedient  of 
our  party ;  for  such  Belanger  had  been  always  esteemed  up  to 
this  time. 

In  making  arrangements  for  our  departure,  Adam  disclosed  to 
me,  for  the  first  time,  that  he  was  aff'^ctefl  with  cedematous  swell- 
ings in  some  parts  of  the  body,  to  such  a  degree  as  to  preclude 
the  slightest  attempt  at  marching;  and  upon  my  expressing  my 
surprise  at  his  having  hitherto  concealed  from  me  the  extent  of 
his  malady,  among  other  explanations  the  details  of  the  preceding 
story  came  out.  It  now  became  necessary  to  aban<ion  the  original 
ntention  of  proceeding  with  the  whole  party  towards  Fort  Provi- 
dence, and  Peltier  and  Samandre  having  volunteered  to  remain 
with  Adam,  T  detcrminp<l  on  setting  out  with  Benoit  and  Angus- 


$ 

I  '  :,  I'i, 
>  lie 


•IDf) 


A.     TOURNCY    TO    Thl,    SHORLS 


tus,  intenflJHc;  to  send  them  relief  by  the  first  ))arly  ol  Imliani 
\vc  should  meet.  My  clothes  were  so  much  torn,  as  to  be  quitr 
inadequate  to  screen  me  from  thewind,  and  Peltier  and  Samandri 
fearinc;  tliat  I  might  suffer  on  the  journey  in  consequence,  kindly 
exchanjred  with  mc  parts  of  their  dress,  desiring  me  to  send  ihcin 
skins  in  return  by  the  Indians.  Having  patched  up  three  pair  ol 
snow-shoes,  and  singed  a  considerable  quantity  of  skin  for  the 
journey,  we  started  on  the  morning  of  the  20th.  Previous  to  my 
departure,  I  packed  up  the  journals  of  the  officers,  the  charts, 
and  some  other  documents,  together  with  a  letter  addressed  to  the 
Under-Secretary  of  State,  detailing  the  occurrences  of  the  Expedi- 
tion up  to  this  period,  which  package  was  given  in  charge  to 
Peltier  and  Samandre,  with  direction  that  it  should  be  brought 
away  by  the  Indians  who  might  come  to  them.  I  also  instructed 
them  to  forward  succour  immediately  on  its  arrival  to  our  com- 
panions in  the  rear,  which  they  solemnly  promised  to  do,  and  I  left 
a  letter  for  my  friends,  Richardson  and  Hood,  to  be  sent  at  the 
same  time.  I  thought  it  necessary  to  admonish  Peltier,  Samandre, 
ami  Adam,  to  eat  two  meals  every  day,  in  order  to  keep  up  their 
strength,  which  they  promised  me  they  would  do.  No  language 
that  I  can  use  could  adequately  describe  the  parting  scene.  I 
shall  only  say  there  was  far  more  calmness  and  resignation  to  the 
Divine  will  evinced  by  every  one  than  could  have  been  expected. 
We  were  all  cheered  by  the  hope  that  the  Indians  would  be  found 
by  the  one  party,  and  relief  sent  to  the  other.  Those  who  re- 
mained entreated  us  to  make  all  the  haste  we  could,  and  express- 
ed their  iiope  of  seeing  tlie  Indians  in  ten  or  twelve  days. 

At  first  starting  we  were  so  feeble  as  scarcely  to  be  able  to  move 
forwards,  and  the  descent  of  the  bank  of  the  river  through  the 
deep  snow  was  a  severe  labour.  When  we  came  upon  the  ice, 
where  the  saovv  was  less  deep,  we  got  on  better,  but  after  walk- 
ing six  hours  we  had  onl}'  gained  four  miles,  and  were  then  com- 
pelled by  fatigue  to  encamp  on  the  borders  of  Round-Rock  Lake. 
Augustus  tried  for  fish  here,  but  without  success,  so  that  our  fare 
was  skin  and  tea.  Composing  ourselves  to  rest,  we  lay  close  to 
each  other  for  warmth.  We  found  the  night  bitterly  cold,  and 
the  wind  pierced  through  our  famished  frames. 


Of    THE    POI.  AH    SEA. 


m 


rhe  next  morning  was  mild  and  pleasant  for  travelling,  and  we 
set  out  after  breakfast.  We  luul  not,  however,  gone  many  yards 
before  I  had  the  misfortune  to  hreak  my  snow-shoes,  by  falling 
between  two  rocks.  This  accident  prevented  me  from  keej)ing 
pace  with  Benoit  and  Augustus,  and  in  the  attempt  I  became 
quite  exhausted.  Being  convinced  that  their  being  delayerl  on 
my  account  might  prove  of  fatal  conseijuence  to  the  rest,  I  resolved 
on  returning  to  the  house,  and  letting  them  proceed  alone  in  search 
of  the  Indians.  I  therefore  halted  them  only  whilst  I  wrote  a  note 
to  Mr.  Back,  stating  the  reason  of  my  return,  and  requesting  he 
would  send  meat  from  Rein-Deer  Lake  Ijy  these  men,  if  St.  Ger- 
main should  kill  any  animals  there.  If  Benoit  should  miss  Mr, 
Back,  I  directed  him  to  proceed  to  Fort  Providence,  and  furnish- 
ed him  with  a  letter  to  the  gentleman  in  charge  of  it,  requesting 
immediate  supplies  might  be  sent  to  us. 

On  my  arrival  at  the  house,  I  found  Samandre  very  disj)iritcd, 
and  too  weak,   as  he  said,  to  render  any  assistance  to  Peltier  ; 
upon  whom  the  whole  labour  of  getting  wood  and  collecting  the 
means  of  subsistence  would  have  devolved.     Conscious,  too,  that 
his  strength  would  have  been  unequal  to  these  tasks,  they  had  de- 
termined upon  taking  only  one  meal  each  day  ;  under  these  cir- 
cumstances I  considered  my  return  as  particularly  fortunate,  as  I 
hoped  to  stimulate  Samandre  to  exertion,  and  at  any  rate  I  could 
contribute  some  help  to  Peltier.     I  undertook  the  office  of  cook- 
ing, and  insisted  they  should  eat  twice  a  day  whenever  food  could 
be  procured,  but  as  I  was  too  weak  to  pound  the  bones,  Peltier 
agreed  to  do  that  in  addition  to  his  more  fatiguing  task  of  getting 
wood.     We  had  a  violent  snow  storm  all  the  next  day,  and  this 
gloomy  weather  contributed  to  the  depression  of  spirits  under 
which  Adam  and  Samandre  were  labouring.     Neither  of  them 
would  quit  their  beds,  and   they  scarcely  ceased   from   shedding 
tears  all  day ;  in  vain  did  Peltier  and  myself  endeavour  to  cheer 
them.     We  had  even  to  use  much  entreaty  before  we  prevailed 
upon  them  to  take  the  meals  we  had  prepared.     Our  situation 
was  indeed  distressing,  but  in  comparison  with  that  of  our  friends 
in  the  rear,  we  considered  it  happy.     Their  condition  gave  us  un- 
ceasing solicitude,  and  was  the  principal  subject  of  our  conversation. 


'■■£:  i  i 


398 


A    .lOURN/'.Y    TO    THE    SHORES 


^     ''  ■! 


iV'tMi;  1-''  rl 


if 


Though  the  weather  was  stormy  on  the  2()th,  Samandre  assist 
ed  nic  to  gather  iripe  de  roche.  Adam,  who  was  very  ill,  and 
could  not  now  he  prevailed  upon  to  eat  this  weed,  suhsisted  prin- 
f  ijjally  on  hones,  though  he  also  partook  of  the  soup.  Tjic  tripe 
lie  roc/iR  had  hitherto  aflbrded  us  our  chief  support,  and  we  natu- 
rally felt  great  uneasiness  at  the  prospect  of  being  deprived  of  it, 
by  its  being  so  frozen  as  to  render  it  impossible  for  us  to  gather  it. 

We  perceived  our  strength  decline  every  day,  and  every  exer- 
tion began  to  be  irksome ;  when  we  were  once  seated  the  greatest 
effort  was  necessary  in  order  to  rise,  and  we  had  frequently  to  lift 
each  other  from  our  seats  ;  but  even  in  this  pitiable  condition  we 
conversed  cheerfully,  being  sanguine  as  to  the  speedy  arrival  of 
the  Indians.  We  calculated  indeed  that  if  they  should  be  near 
the  situation  where  they  had  remained  last  winter,  our  men  would 
have  reached  them  by  this  day.  Having  expended  all  the  wood 
which  we  could  procure  from  our  present  dwelling,  without  en- 
dangering its  falling,  Peltier  began  this  day  to  pull  down  the  par- 
titions of  the  adjoining  houses.  Though  these  were  only  distant 
about  twenty  yards,  yet  the  increase  of  labour  in  carrying  the  wood 
ihtigued  him  so  much,  that  by  the  evening  he  was  exhausted.  On 
the  next  day  his  weakness  was  such,  especially  in  the  arms,  of 
which  he  chiefly  complained,  that  he  with  difficulty  lifted  the 
hatchet :  still  he  persevered,  Samandre  and  I  assisting  him  in 
bringing  in  the  wood,  but  our  united  strength  could  only  collect 
sufficient  to  replenish  the  fire  four  times  in  the  course  of  the  day. 
As  the  insides  of  our  mouths  had  become  sore  from  eating  the 
bone  soup,  we  relinquished  the  use  of  it,  and  now  boiled  our  skin, 
which  mode  of  dressing  we  found  more  palatable  than  frying  it, 
as  we  had  hitherto  done.  • 

On  the  29th,  Peltier  felt  his  pains  more  severe,  and  could  only 
cut  a  few  pieces  of  wood,  isamandie,  who  was  still  almost  as 
weak,  relieved  him  a  little  time,  and  I  assisted  them  'n  carrying 
in  the  wood.  We  endeavoured  to  pick  some  tripe  de  roche,  but 
in  vain,  as  it  was  entirely  frozen.  In  turning  up  the  snow,  in 
searching  for  bones,  I  found  several  pieces  of  bark,  which  proved 
a  valuable  acquisition,  as  we  were  almost  destitute  of  dry  wood 
proper  for  kindling  the  fire.     We  saw  a  henl  of  rein-deer  sport- 


OF  TIIL  i'OLAK  SLA. 


39M 


.iig  ou  the  river,  about  lialCa  mile  from  the  house;  they  remained 
there  a  considerable  time,  but  none  of  the  party  I'elt  themselves 
sufficiently  strong  to  go  after  them,  nor  was  there  one  of  us  who 
could  have  fired  a  gun  without  resting  it. 

Whilst  we  were  seated  round  the  fire  this  evening,  discoursing 
about  the  anticipated  relief,  the  conversation  was  suddenly  inter- 
rupted by  Peltier's  exclaiming  with  joy,  '■^  Jih!  le  tyionde!^^ 
imagining  that  he  heard  the  Indians  in  the  other  room  j  immedi- 
ately afterwards,  to  his  bitter  disappointment,  Dr.  Richardson  and 
Hepburn  entered,  each  carrying  his  bundle.  Peltier,  however/ 
soon  recovered  himself  enough  to  express  his  joy  at  their  safe 
arrival,  and  his  regret  that  their  companions  were  not  with  them. 
When  I  saw  them  alone  my  own  mind  was  instantly  filled  with 
apprehensions  respecting  my  friend  Hood,  and  our  other  com- 
panions, which  were  immediately  confirmed  by  the  Doctor's  me- 
lancholy communication,  that  Mr.  Hood  and  Michel  were  dead. 
Perrault  and  Fontano  had  neither  reached  the  tent,  nor  been 
heard  of  by  them.  This  intelligence  produced  a  melancholy  de- 
spondency in  the  minds  of  my  party,  and  on  that  account  the  par- 
ticulars were  deferred  until  another  opportunity.  We  were  all 
shocked  at  beholding  the  emaciated  countenances  of  the  Doctor  atid 
Hepburn,  as  they  strongly  evidenced  their  extremely  debilitated 
state.  The  alteration  in  our  appearance  was  equally  distressing 
to  them,  for  since  the  swellings  had  subsided,  we  were  little  more 
than  skin  and  bone.  The  Doctor  particularly  remarked  the  se- 
pulchral tone  of  our  voices,  which  he  requested  us  to  make  more 
cheerful  if  possible,  unconscious  that  his  own  partook  of  the  same 
key. 

Hepburn  having  shot  a  partridge,  which  was  brought  to  the 
house,  the  Doctor  tore  out  the  feathers,  and  having  held  it  to  the 
fue  a  few  minutes,  divided  it  into  seven  portions.  Each  piece 
was  ravenously  devoured  by  my  companions,  as  it  was  the  first 
morsel  of  flesh  any  of  us  had  tasted  for  thirty-one  days,  unless 
indeed  the  small  gristly  particles  which  we  found  occasionally 
adhering  to  the  pounded  bones  may  be  termed  flesh.  Our  spirits 
were  revived  by  this  small  supply,  and  the  Doctor  endeavoured 
lo  raise  them  still  higher  by  the  prospect  of  Hci>burn's  being  able 


;",fMi* 


m 


'100 


\     lOUKNCV      lO    nil.    SllOKI.S 


.)  ■  ■  If 


m 


t 


to  kill  a  (leer  next  day,  as  Ihuy  had  seen,  and  even  liied  at,  suv*'- 
ral  near  the  house.  lie  endeavoured,  too,  to  rouse  us  to  soni< 
attention  to  the  comtort  of  our  apartment,  and  particularly  to 
roll  up,  in  the  tlay,  our  blankets  which  (expressly  lor  the -con- 
venience ol"  Adam  and  Samandre,)  we  had  been  in  the  Imhit  of 
leavinti;  by  the  fire  where  we  lay  on  them.  The  Doctor  luiviii" 
brouaiht  his  prayer-book  and  testament,  some  prayers  and  psalms, 
and  portions  of  scripture,  appropriate  to  our  situation,  were  itad, 
and  we  retired  to  bed. 

Next  morning  the  Doctor  and  Hepburn  went  out  early  in  scanli 
of  deer  ;  but,  though  they  saw  several  herds  an<l  fired  some  shots, 
they  were  not  so  fortunate  as  to  kill  any,  being  too  weak  to  liold 
their  guns  steadily.  The  cold  compelled  the  former  to  return 
soon,  but  Hepburn  persisted  until  late  in  the  evening. 

My  occupation  was  to  search  for  skins  under  the  snow,  it  Ijeinsj 
now  our  object  immediately  to  get  all  that  we  could,  but  I  had 
not  strength  to  drag  in  more  than  two  of  those  which  were  with- 
in twenty  yards  of  the  house  until  the  Doctor  came  and  assisted 
me.  We  made  up  our  slock  to  twenty-six,  but  several  of  them 
were  putrid,  and  scarcely  eatable,  even  by  men  suft'ering  the  ex- 
tremity of  famine.  Peltier  and  Samandre  continued  very  weak 
and  dispirited,  and  they  were  unable  to  cut  fire-wood.  Hepburn 
had  in  consequence  that  laborious  task  to  perform  after  he  cami' 
back.  The  Doctor  having  scarified  the  swelled  parts  of  Adam's 
body,  a  large  quantity  of  water  flowed  out,  and  he  obtained  some 
•  ease,  but  still  kept  his  bed. 

Ai'ter  our  usual  supper  of  singed  skin  and  bone  soup,  Dr.  Rich- 
ardson  acquainted  me  with  the  afflicting  circumstances  attending 
the  death  of  Mr.  Hood  and  Michel,  and  detailed  the  occurrences 
subsequent  to  my  departure  from  them,  which  I  shall  give  from 
his  journal,  in  his  own  words;  but  1  must  here  be  permitted  to 
express  the  heart-felt  sorrow  with  which  I  was  overwhelmed  at 
the  loss  of  so  many  companions;  especially  for  that  of  my  friend 
Mr,  Hood,  to  whose  zealous  and  able  co-operation  I  had  been  in- 
debted for  so  much  valuable  assistance  during  the  Expedition, 
whilst  the  excellent  qualities  of  his  heart  engaged  my  warnicsi 
regard.     His  scientific  observations,  together  with  his  maps  i>m\ 


OP    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


401 


drawings,  evince  a  variety  of  talent,  which,  had  liis  life  hccn 
spared,  must  have  rendered  him  a  distinguished  ornament  to  his 
profession,  and  which  will  cause  his  death  to  be  felt  as  a  loss  to 
the  service. 


itaine'i  some 


Dr.  RICHARDSON'S  NARRATIVE. 

After  Captain  Franklin  had  bidden  us  farewell  we  remained 
seated  by  the  fire-sidc  as  long  as  the  willows,  the  men  had  cut 
for  us  before  they  departed,  lasted.  We  had  no  tripe  de  roche 
that  day,  but  drank  an  infusion  of  the  country  tea-plant,  which 
was  grateful  from  its  warmth,  although  it  afforded  no  sustenance. 
We  then  retired  to  bed,  where  we  remained  all  the  next  day,  as 
the  weather  was  stormy,  and  the  snow-drift  so  heavy,  as  to  de- 
stroy every  prospect  of  success  in  our  endeavours  to  light  a  fire 
with  the  green  and  frozen  willows,  which  were  our  only  fuel. 
Through  the  extreme  kindness  and  forethought  of  a  lady,  the  party, 
previous  to  leaving  London,  had  been  furbished  with  a  small  col- 
lection of  religious  books,  of  which  we  still  retained  two  or  three 
of  the  most  portable,  and  they  proved  of  incalculable  benefit  to 
us.  We  read  portions  of  them  to  each  other  as  we  lay  in  bed, 
in  addition  to  the  morning  and  evening  service,  and  found  that 
they  Inspired  us  on  each  perusal  with  so  strong  a  sense  of  the  om- 
nipresence of  a  beneficent  God,  that  our  situation,  even  in  these 
wilds,  appeared  no  longer  destitute ;  and  we  conversed,  not  only 
with  calmness,  but  with  cheerfulness,  detailing  with  unrestrained 
confidence  the  past  events  of  our  lives,  and  dwelling  with  hope 
on  our  future  prospects.  Had  my  poor  friend  been  spared  to 
revisit  his  native  land,  I  should  look  back  to  this  period  with  un- 
alloyed delight. 

On  the  morning  of  the  29th,  the  weather,  although  still  cold, 
was  clear,  and  I  went  out  in  quest  of  tripe  de  roche y  leaving  Hep- 
burn to  cut  willows  for  a  fire,  and  Mr.  Hood   in  bed.     F  had  no 

5  K 


'"4 


T 


40ii 


A    JOURNEY    lO    THE    SHORES 


■» 


n 


success,  as  yesterday's  snow  drift  was  so  frozen  on  the  surface  ol 
the  rocks  that  I  couid  not  collect  any  of  the  weed  ;  but,  on  my 
return  to  the  tent,  I  found  that  Michel,  the  Iroquois,  had  come 
with  a  note  from  Mr.  Franklin,  which  stated,  that  this  man,  and 
Jean  Baptiste  Belanger  being  unable  to  proceed,  were  about  to  re- 
turn to  us,  and  that  a  mile  beyond  our  present  encampment  there 
was  a  clump  of  pine  trees,  to  which  he  recommended  us  to 
remove  the  tent.  Michel  informed  us  that  he  quitted  ?/Ir. 
Franklin's  party  yesterday  morning,  but,  that  having  missed  his 
way,  he  had  passed  the  night  on  the  snow  a  mile  or  two  to  the 
northward  of  us.  Belanger,  he  said,  being  impatient,  had  left 
the  fire  about  two  hours  earlier,  and,  as  he  had  not  arrived,  he 
supposed  he  had  gone  astray.  It  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel. 
that  we  had  more  than  sufficient  reason  to  doubt  the  truth  of  this 
stor V . 

Michel  now  produced  a  hare  and  a  partridge  which  he  had 
killed  in  the  morning.  This  unexpected  supply  of  provision 
was  received  by  us  with  a  deep  sense  of  gratitude  to  the  Almighty 
for  his  goodness,  and  we  looked  upon  Michel  as  the  instrument  he 
had  chosen  to  preserve  all  our  lives.  He  complained  of  cold,  and 
Mr.  Hood  offered  to  share  his  buffalo  robe  with  him  at  night :  I 
gave  him  one  of  two  shirts  which  I  wore,  whilst  Hepburn,  in  the 
warmth  of  his  heart,  exclaimed,  "  How  I  shall  love  this  man  if  1 
find  thai  he  <loes  not  tell  lies  like  the  others.."  Our  meals  being 
fi^nished,  we  arranged  that  the  greatest  part  of  the  things  should  be 
carried  to  the  pines  the  next  day  ;  and  after  reading  the  evening 
service,  retired  to  bed  full  of  hope. 

Early  in  the  morning  Hepburn,  Michel,  and  myself,  carried 
the  ammunition,  and  most  of  the  other  heavy  articles,  to  the  pines. 
Michel  was  our  guide,  and  it  did  not  occur  to  us  at  the  time 
that  his  conducting  us  perfectly  straight  was  incompatible  with 
his  story  of  havmg  gone  astray  on  his  way  tc  us*  He  now  in 
farmed  us  that  he  had,  on  his  way  to  the  tent,  left  on  the  hill 
above  the  pines  a  gun  and  forty-eight  balls,  which  Perrault  had 
given  to  him  when  with  the  rest  of  Mr.  Franklin's  party,  he  took 
leave  of  him.  It  will  be  seen,  on  a  reference  to  Mr.  Franklir/s 
journal,  that  Perrault  carried  his  gun  and  ammunition  with  hin^. 


■"J*. 


OF  THE  POLAR  SKA. 


40o 


when  tliey  parted  from  Michel  and  Belanger.  After  we  had  made 
a  fire,  aiul  drank  a  Httle  of  the  country  tea,  Hepburn  and  I  re- 
turned to  the  tent,  where  we  arrived  in  the  evening,  much  ex- 
hausted with  our  journey.  Michel  preferred  sleeping  where  he 
was,  and  requested  us  to  leave  him  the  hatchet,  which  we  did, 
after  he  had  promised  to  come  early  in  the  morning  to  assist  us 
in  carrying  the  tent  and  bedding.  Mr.  Hood  remained  in  bed 
all  day.  Seeing  nothing  of  Belanger  to-day,  we  gave  him  up 
for  lost. 

On  the  11th,  after  waiting  until  late  in  the  iiiorning  for  Michel,, 
who  did  not  come,  Hepburn  and  I  loaded  ourselves  with  the  bed- 
ding, and  accompanied  by  Mr.  Hood,  set  out  for  the  pines.  Mr. 
Hood  was  much  affected  with  dimness  of  sight,  giddiness,  and 
other  symptoms  of  extreme  debility,  which  caused  us  to  move 
/ery  slow,  and  to  make  frequent  halts.  On  arriving  at  the  pines, 
we  were  much  alarmed  to  find  that  Michel  was  absent.  We  feared 
that  he  had  lost  his  way  in  coming  to  us  in  the  morning,  although 
it  was  not  easy  to  conjecture  how  that  could  have  happened,  as 
our  footsteps  of  yesterday  were  ve:y  distinct.  Hepburn  went 
back  for  the  tent,  and  returned  with  it  after  dusk,  completely 
worn  out  with  the  fatigue  of  the  day.  Michel  too  arrived  at  the' 
same  time,  and  relieved  our  anxiety  on  his  account.  He  report- 
ed that  he  had  been  in  chase  of  some  deer  which  passed  near  his 
sleeping-place  in  the  morning,  and  although  he  did  not  come  up 
with  them,  yet  that  he  found  a  woH"  which  had  been  killed  by  the 
stroke  of  a  deer's  horn,  and  had  brought  a  part  of  it.  We  impli- 
citly believed  this  story  then,  but  afterwards  became  convinced 
from  circumstances,  the  detail  of  which  may  be  spared,  that  it 
must  have  been  a  portion  of  the  body  of  Belanger  or  Perrault. 
A  question  of  moment  here  presents  itself;  namely,  whether  he 
actually  murdered  these  men,  or  either  of  them,  or  w'lether  he 
found  the  bodies  on  the  snow.  Captain  Franklin,  who  is  the  best  ^ 
able  to  judge  of  this  matter,  from  knowing  their  situation  when 
he  parted  from  them,  suggested  the  former  idea,  and  that  both 
Belanger  and  Perrault  had  been  sacrificed.  When  Perrault  turn- 
ed back.  Captain  Franklin  watched  him  until  he  reached  a  small 
group  of  willows,  which  was  immediately  adjoining  to  the  fire, 


404 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORhS 


and  concealed  :t  from  view,  and  at  this  time  the  smoke  of  fresh 
fuel  was  distinctly  visible  Captain  Franklin  conjectures,  that 
Michel  having  already  destroyed  Belanger,  completed  his  crime 
by  Perrault's  death,  in  order  to  screen  himself  from  detection. 
Although  this  opinion  is  founded  only  on  circumstances,  and  is 
unsupported  by  direct  evidence,  it  has  been  judged  proper  to 
mention  it,  especially  as  the  subsequent  conduct  of  the  man  shew- 
ed that  he  was  capable  of  committing  such  a  deed.  The' circum- 
stances are  very  strong.  It  is  not  easy  to  assign  any  other  ade- 
quate motive  for  his  concealing  from  us  that  Perrault  had  turned 
back,  and  his  request  overnight  that  we  should  leave  him  the 
hatchet ;  and  his  cumbering  himself  with  it  when  he  went  out  \x\ 
the  morning,  unlike  a  hunter  who  makes  use  only  of  his  knife 
when  he  kills  a  deer,  seem  to  indicate  that  he  took  it  for  the  pur- 
pose of  cutting  up  something  that  he  knew  to  be  frozen.  The?^ 
opinions,  however,  are  the  result  of  subsequent  consider^  -n- 
We  passed  this  night  in  the  open  air. 

On  the  following  morning  the  tent  was  pitched,  and  Michel 
went  out  early,  refused  my  offer  to  accompany  him,  and  remain- 
ed out  the  whole  day.  He  would  not  sleep  in  the  tent  at  night, 
but  chose  to  lie  at  the  fire-side. 

On  the  13th  there  was  a  heavy  gale  of  wind,  and  we  passed  the 
day  by  the  fire.  Next  day,  about  two,  P.M.,  the  gale  abating, 
Michel  set  out  as  he  said  to  hunt,  but  returned  unexpectedly  in  a 
very  short  time.  This  conduct  surprised  us,  and  his  contradictory 
and  evasory  answers  to  our  questions  excited  some  suspicions,  but 
they  did  not  turn  towards  the  truth. 

October  15th. — In  the  course  of  this  day  Michel  expressed  much 
regret  that  he  had  stayed  behind  Mr.  Franklin's  party,  and  de- 
clared that  he  would  set  out  for  the  house  at  once  if  he  knew  the 
way.  We  tndeavoured  to  soothe  hini,  and  to  raise  his  hopes  of 
the  Indians  speedily  coming  to  our  relief,  but  without  success. 
He  refused  to  assist  us  in  cutting  wood,  but  about  noon,  after 
much  solicitation,  he  set  out  to  hunt.  Hepburn  gathered  a  kettle 
of  tripe  de  roche^  but  froze  his  fingers.  Both  Hepburn  and  I  fa- 
tigue«l  ourselves  much  to-day  in  pursuing  a  flock  of  partridges 
from  one  part  to  another  of  the  group  of  willows,  in  which  the 


t 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


405 


hut  was  situated,  but  we  were  too  weak  to  be  able  to  approach 
them  with  sufficient  caution.  In  the  evening  Michel  returned, 
having  met  with  no  success. 

Next  day  he  refused  either  to  hunt  or  cut  wood,  spoke  in  a 
very  surly  manner,  and  threatened  to  leave  us.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstan'  as,  Mr.  Hood  and  I  deemed  it  better  to  promise  if  he 
would  hunt  diligently  for  four  days,  that  then  we  would  give 
Hepburn  a  letter  for  Mr.  Franklin,  a  compass,  inform  him  what 
course  to  pursue,  and  let  them  proceed  together  to  the  fort.  The 
non-arrival  of  the  Indians  to  our  relief,  now  led  us  to  fear  that 
some  accident  had  happened  to  Mr.  Franklin,  and  we  placed  no 
confidence  in  the  exertions  of  the  Canadians  that  accompanied 
him,  but  we  had  the  fullest  confidence  in  Hepburn's  returning 
the  moment  he  could  obtain  assistance. 

On  the  17th  I  went  to  conduct  Michel  to  where  Vaillant's 
blanket  was  left,  and  after  walking  about  three  miles,  pointed  out 
the  hills  to  him  at  a  distance,  and  returned  to  the  hut,  having 
gathered  a  bagful  of  tripe  de  roche  on  the  way.  It  was  easier 
to  gather  this  weed  on  a  march  than  at  the  tent,  for  the  exercise 
of  walking  produced  a  glow  of  heat,  which  enabled  us  to  with- 
stand for  a  time  the  cold  to  which  we  were  exposed  in  scraping 
the  frozen  surface  of  the  rocks.  On  the  contrary,  when  we  left 
tlie  fire,  to  collect  it  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  hut,  we  becanit 
chilled  at  once,  and  were  obliged  to  return  very  quickly. 

Michel  proposed  to  remain  out  all  night,  and  to  hunt  next  day 
on  his  way  back.  He  returned  in  the  afternoon  of  the  18th,  hav- 
]i\^  f'nund  the  blanket,  together  with  a  bag  containing  two  pistol!^., 
;« .  .^ome  other  things  which  had  been  left  beside  it.  We  had 
A''AP  iripe  de  roche  in  the  evening,  but  Mr.  Hood,  from  the  con- 
stant ^iiping  it  produced,  was  unable  to  eat  more  than  one  or  two 
spoonfuls.  He  was  now  so  weak  as  to  be  scarcely  able  to  sit  up 
at  the  fire-side,  and  complained  that  the  least  breeze  of  wind  seem- 
ed to  blow  through  his  frame.  He  also  suffered  much  from  cold 
during  the  night.  We  lay  close  to  each  other,  but  the  heat  of 
the  body  was  no  longer  sufficient  to  thaw  the  frozen  rime  formed 
by  our  breaths  on  the  blankets  that  covered  him. 

VI  this  period  we  avoided  as  much  as  possible  converf " 


'b 


]pois 


ft  # 


406 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


T    '5 


the  hopelessness  of  our  situation,  and  generally  endeavoured  to 
lead  the  conversation  towards  our  future  prospects  in  life.  The 
fact  is,  that  with  the  decay  of  our  strength,  our  minds  decayed 
and  we  were  no  longer  able  to  bear  the  contemplation  of  the 
horrors  that  surrounded  us.  Each  of  us,  if  I  may  be  allowed  to 
judge  from  my  own  case,  excuseil  himself  from  so  doing  by  a 
desire  of  not  shocking  the  feelings  of  the  others,  for  we  were 
sensible  of  one  another's  weakness  of  intellect,  though  blind  to 
our  own.  Yet  we  were  calm  and  resigned  to  our  fate,  not  a  mur- 
mur escaped  us,  and  we  were  punctual  and  fervent  in  our  ad- 
dresses to  the  Supreme  Being. 

On  the  '  9th  Michel  refused  to  hunt,  or  even  to  assist  in  carry- 
ing a  log  ;  ''  vood  to  the  fire,  which  was  too  heavy  for  Hepburn's 
strength  an  i  .     Mr.  Mood  endeavoured  to  point  out  to  hiin 

the  necessity  ixi.  duty  of  exertion,  and  the  cruelty  of  his  quitting 
us  without  leaving  something  for  our  support ;  but  the  discourse, 
far  from  producing  any  beneficial  effect,  seemed  only  to  excite 
his  anger,  and  amongst  other  expressions  he  made  use  of  the 
following  remarkable  one :  "  It  is  no  use  hunting,  there  are 
no  animals,  you  had  better  kill  and  eat  me."  At  length,  how- 
over,  he  went  out,  but  returnetl  very  soon,  with  a  report  that  he 
had  seen  three  deer,  which  he  was  unable  to  follow  from  having 
wet  his  foot  in  a  small  stream  of  water  thinly  covered  with  ice, 
and  being  consequently  obliged  to  come  to  the  fire.  The  day 
was  ratlier  mild,  and  Hepburn  and  I  gathered  a  large  kettleful  of 
^ripe  de  roche;  Michei  slept  in  the  tent  this  night. 

Sunday,  October  20. — In  the  morning  we  again  urged  Michel 
to  go  a  hunting,  that  he  might  if  possible  leave  us  some  provision, 
to-morrow  being  the  day  appointed  for  his  quitting  us ;  but  he 
shewed  great  unwillingness  to  go  out,  and  lingered  about  the  fire, 
under  the  pretence  of  cleaning  his  gun.  After  we  had  read  the 
morning  service,  I  went  about  noon  to  gather  some  tripe  de  rochc, 
leaving  Mr.  Hood  fitting  before  the  tent  at  the  fire-side,  arguing 
with  Michel;  Hepburn  was  employed  cutting  down  a  tree  at  a 
short  distance  from  the  tent,  being  desirous  of  accumulating  a 
quantity  of  fire-wood  before  he  left  us.  A  short  time  after  I  went 
out  I  heard  the  report  of  a  gun,  and  about  ten  minutes  afterwards 


W-' 


♦  ? 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


407 


Hepburn  called  to  me  in  a  voice  of  great  alarm,  to  come  directly. 
When  I  arrived,  I  found  poor  Hood  lying  lifeless  at  the  fire-side, 
a  ball  having  apparently  entered  his  forehead.     I  was  at  first 
horror-struck  with  the  idea,  that  in  a  fit  of  despondency  he  had 
hurried  himself  into  the  presence  of  his  Almighty  Judge,  by  an 
act  of  his  own  hand  ;  but  the  conduct  of  Michel  soon  gave  rise  to 
other  thoughts,  and  excited  suspicions  which  were  confirmed, 
when  upon  examining  the  body,  I  discovered  that  the  shot  had 
entered  the  back  part  of  the  head,  and  passed  out  at  the  forehead, 
and  that  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  had  been  applied  so  close  as  to  set 
fire  to  the  night-cap  behind.     The  gun,  which  was  of  the  longest 
kind  supplied  to  the  Indians,  could  not  have  been  placed  in  a  po- 
sition to  inflict  such  a  wound,  except  by  a  second  person.     Upon 
inquiring  of  Michel  how  it  happened,  he  replied,  that  Mr.  Hood 
had  sent  him  into  the  tent  for  the  short  gun,  and  that  during  his 
absence  the  long  gun  had  gone  off,  he  did  not  know  whether  by 
accident  or  not.     He  held  the  short  gun  in  his  hand  at  the  time 
he  was  speaking  to  me.     Hepburn  afterwards  informed  me,  that 
previous  to  the  report  of  the  gun,  Mr.  Hood  and  Michel  were 
speaking  to  each  other  in  an  elevated  angry  tone ;  that  Mr.  Hood 
being  seated  at  the  fire-side,  was  hid  from  him  by  intervening 
willows,  but  that  on  hearing  the  report  he  looked  up,  and  saw 
Michel  rising  up  from  before  the  tent  door,  or  just  behind  where 
Mr.  Hood  was  seated,  and  then  going  into  the  tent.     Thinking 
that  the  gun  had  been  discharged  for  the  purpose  of  cleaning  it, 
he  did  not  go  to  the  fire  at  first ;  and  when  Michel  called  to  him 
that  Mr.  Hood  was  dead,  a  considerable  time  had  elapsed.     Al- 
though I  dared  not  openly  to  evince  any  suspicion  that  I  thought 
Michel  guilty  of  the  deed,  yet  he  repeatedly  protested  that  he  was 
incapable  of  committing  such  an  act,  kept  constantly  on  his  guard, 
and  carefully  avoided  leaving  Hepburn  and  me  together.     He  was 
evidently  afraid  cf  permitting  us  to  converse  in  private,  and  when- 
ever Hepburn  spoke,  he  inquired  if  he  accused  him  of  the  murder. 
It  is  to  be  remarked,  that  he  understood  English  very  imperfectly, 
yet  sufficiently  to  render  it  unsafe  for  us  to  speak  on  the  subject 
in  his  presence.     We  removed  the  body  into  a  clump  of  willows 
behind  the  tent,  and,  returning  to  the  fire,  read  the  funcval  service 


II  r' 


lilillu 


f 


#      #* » 


40b 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


i 


?  M^ 


111 


^>n 


■  ( I 


^i.P 


in  addition  to  the  eveiung  prayers.  The  loss  of  a  young  officer 
of  such  distinguished  and  varied  talents  and  application,  may  be 
felt  and  duly  appreciated  by  the  enrtinent  characters  under  whose 
command  he  had  served ;  but  the  calmness  with  which  he  con- 
templated the  probable  termination  of  a  life  of  uncommon  pro- 
mise ;  and  the  patience  and  fortitude  with  which  he  sustained,  I 
may  venture  to  say,  unparalleled  bodily  sufferings,  can  only  be 
known  to  the  coiiipanions  of  his  distresses.  Ovi.ing  to  the  effect 
that  the  tripe  de  roche  invariably  had,  when  he  ventured  to  taste 
it,  he  undoubtedly  suffered  more  than  any  of  the  survivors  of  the 
party.  BickerstetK's  Scripture  Help  was  lying  open  beside  the 
body,  as  if  it  had  fallen  from  his  hand,  and  it  is  probable  that  he 
was  reading  it  at  the  instant  of  his  death.  We  passed  the  night 
in  the  tent  together  without  rest,  every  one  being  on  his  guard. 
Next  day,  having  determined  on  going  to  the  Fort,  we  began  to 
patch  and  prepare  our  clothes  for  the  journey.  We  singed  the 
hair  off  a  part  of  the  buffalo  robe  that  belonged  to  Mr.  Hood,  and 
boiled  and  ate  it.  Michel  tried  to  persuade  me  to  go  to  the  woods 
on  the  Copper-Mine  River,  and  hunt  for  deer,  instead  of  going  to 
the  Fort.  In  the  afternoon  a  flock  of  partridges  coming  near  the 
tent,  he  killed  several,  which  he  shared  with  us. 

Thick  snow^y  weather  and  a  head  wind  prevented  us  from  start- 
ing the  following  day,  but  on  the  morning  of  the  23d  we  set  out, 
carrying  with  us  the  remainder  of  the  singed  robe.  Hepb\-rvi  and 
Michel  had  each  a  gun,  and  I  carried  a  small  pistol,  whicli  Hep* 
burn  had  loaded  for  me.  In  the  course  of  the  march  Michel 
alarmed  us  much  by  his  gestures  and  conduct,  was  constantly 
muttering  to  himself,  expressed  an  unwillingness  to  go  to  the  Fort, 
and  tried  to  persuade  me  to  go  to  the  south w^ard  to  the  woods, 
where  he  said  he  could  maintain  himself  all  the  winter  by  killing 
deer.  In  consequence  of  this  behaviour,  and  the  expression  of  his 
countenance,  I  requested  him  to  leave  us  and  to  go  to  the  south- 
ward by  himself.  This  proposal  increased  his  ill-nature,  he  threw 
out  some  obscure  hints  of  freeing  himself  from  all  restraint  on  the 
morrow  ;  and  1  overheard  him  muttering  threats  against  Hepburn, 
whom  he  openly  accused  of  having  told  stories  against  him.  He 
also,  for  the  first  time,  assumed  such  a  tone  of  superiority  in  ad- 


•  »♦       • 


OF    THK    I'OLAR    SEA. 


40^ 


^Iressing  me,  as  evinced  that  he  considered  us  to  be  completely 
in  his  power,  and  he  gave  vent  to  several  expressions  of  hatred 
towards  the  white  people,  or  as  he  termed  us  in  the  idiom  of  the 
voyagers,  the  French,  some  of  whom,  he  said,  had  killed  and  eaten 
his  uncle  and  two  of  his  relations.  In  short,  taking  every  circum- 
stance of  his  conduct  into  consideration,  I  came  to  the  conclusion, 
that  he  would  attempt  to  destroy  us  on  the  first  opportunity  that 
eflbrcd,  and  that  he  had  hitherto  abstained  from  doing  ^o  from  his 
ignorance  of  the  way  to  the  Fort,  but  that  he  would  never  suffer 
us  to  go  thither  in  company  with  him.  In  the  course  of  the  day 
he  had  several  times  remarked  that  we  were  pursuing  the  same 
course  that  Mr.  Franklin  was  doing  when  he  left  him,  and  that 
by  keeping  towards  the  setting  sun  he  could  find  his  way  himself. 
Hepburn  and  I  were  not  in  a  condition  to  resist  even  an  open  at- 
tack, nor  could  we  by  any  device  escape  from  him.  Our  united 
strength  was  far  inferior  to  his,  and,  beside  his  gun,  he  was  armed 
with  two  pistols,  an  Indian  bayonet,  and  a  knife.  In  the  after- 
noon, coming  to  a  rock  on  which  there  was  some  tripe  de  roche, 
he  halted,  and  said  he  would  gather  it  whilst  we  went  on,  and 
that  he  would  soon  overtake  us.  Hepburn  and  I  were  now  left 
together  for  the  first  time  since  Mr.  Hood's  death,  and  he  acquaint- 
ed me  with  several  material  circumstances,  which  he  had  observed 
of  Michel's  behaviour,  and  which  confirmed  me  in  the  opinion 
(hat  there  was  no  safety  for  us  except  in  his  death,  and  he  offered 
to  be  the  instrument  of  it.  I  determined,  however,  as  I  was  tho- 
roughly convinced  of  the  necessity  of  such  a  dreadful  act,  to  take 
the  whole  responsibility  upon  myself;  and  immediately  u|X>n 
Michel's  coming  up,  I  put  an  end  to  his  life  by  shooting  him 
through  the  head  with  a  pistol.  Had  my  own  life  alone  been 
threatened,  I  would  not  have  purchased  it  by  such  a  measure ; 
but  I  considered  myself  as  intrusted  also  with  the  protection  of 
Hepburn's,  a  man,  who,  by  his  humane  attentions  and  devoted- 
ness,  had  so  endeared  himself  to  me,  that  I  felt  more  anxiety  for 
his  safety  than  for  my  own.  Michel  had  gathered  no  tripe  de 
roche,  and  it  was  evident  to  us  that  he  had  halted  for  the  purpose 
of  putting  his  gun  in  order,  with  the  intention  of  attacking  us, 
perhaps,  whilst  we  were  in  the  act  of  encamping. 

:1F 


■11: 


410 


A    JOURNKY    TO    THE    SHORES 


I  \  HiZ-'v  'ill '  re 

mm 


^ 


I  have  dwelt  in  the  preceding  part  of  the  narrative  upon  many 
circumstances  of  Michel's  conduct,  not  for  the  purpose  of  a«>-«rra- 
vating  his  crime,  but  to  put  the  reader  in  possession  of  the  reasons 
that  influenced  me  in  depriving  a  fellow  creature  of  life,  Up  to 
the  period  of  his  return  to  the  tent,  his  conduct  had  been  good 
and  respectful  to  the  officers,  and  in  a  conversation  between  Cap- 
tain Franklin,  Mr.  Hood,  and  myself,  at  Obstruction  Rapid,  ii 
had  been  proposed  to  give  him  a  reward  upon  our  arrival  at  a 
post.  His  principles,  however,  unsup|ierted  by  a  belief  in  tho 
divine  truths  of  Christianity,  were  unable  to  withstand  the  press 
ure  of  severe  distress.  His  countrymen,  the  Iroquois,  are  gene- 
rally Christians,  but  he  was  totally  iminstructed  and  ignorant  of 
the  duties  inculcated  by  Christianity  ;  and  from  his  long  residence 
in  the  Indian  country,  seems  to  have  imbibed,  or  retained,  the 
rules  of  conduct  which  the  southern  Indians  prescribe  to  them- 
selves. 

On  the  two  following  days  we  had  mild  but  thick  snowy 
weather,  and  as  the  view  was  too  limited  to  enable  us  to  preserve 
a  straight  course,  we  remained  encamped  amongst  a  few  willows 
and  dwarf  pines,  about  five  miles  from  the  tent.  We  found  a 
species  of  cornicularia,  a  kind  of  lichen,  that  was  good  to  eat 
when  moistened  and  toasted  over  the  fire ;  and  we  had  a  good 
many  pieces  of  singed  buffalo  hide  remaining. 

On  the  26th,  the  weather  being  clear  and  extremely  cold,  we 
resumed  our  march,  which  was  very  painful  from  the  depth  of 
the  snow,  particularly  on  the  margins  of  the  small  lakes  that  lay 
in  our  route.  We  frequently  sunk  under  the  load  of  our  blankets, 
and  were  obliged  to  assist  each  other  in  getting  up.  After  walk- 
ing about  three  miles  and  a  half,  however,  we  were  cheered  by  the 
sight  of  a  large  herd  of  rein-deer,  and  Hepburn  went  in  pursuit  of 
them;  but  his  hand  being  unsteady  through  weakness  he  irissed. 
He  was  so  exhausted  by  this  fruitless  attempt,  that  we  were  ob- 
liged to  encamp  upon  the  spot,  although  it  was  a  very  unfavoura- 
ble one. 

Next  day  we  had  fine  and  clear,  but  cold,  weather.  We  set 
out  early,  and,  in  crossing  a  hill,  found  a  considerable  quantity  of 
tripe  de  roche.  About  noon  we  fell  upon  Little  Marten  Lake,  hav- 


Wf 


m 


eii'ikix'i'lLIJii.  -v'^t-tv 


••^ -^"^ 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


4U 


ing  walked  about  two  miles 


The  sight  of  a  place  that  we  knew 
inspired  us  with  fresh  vigour,  and  there  being  comparatively  little 
snow  on  the  ice,  we  advanced  at  a  pace  to  which  we  had  lately 
been  unaccustomed.  In  the  afternoon  we  crossed  a  recent  track  of 
a  wolverene,  which,  from  a  parallel  mark  in  the  snow,  appeared 
to  have  been  dragging  something.  Hepburn  traced  it,  and  upon 
the  borders  of  the  lake  found  the  spine  of  a  deer,  that  it  had  drop- 
ped, it  was  clean  picked,  and,  at  least,  one  season  old  ;  but  we 
extracted  the  spinal  marrow  from  it,  which,  even  in  its  frozen  state, 
was  so  acrid  as  to  excoriate  the  lips.  We  encamped  within  sight 
of  the  Dog-rib  Rock,  and  from  the  coldness  of  the  night  and  the 
want  of  fuel,  rested  very  ill. 

On  the  28th  we  rose  at  day-break,  but  from  the  want  of  the 
small  fire,  that  we  usually  made  in  the  mornings  to  warm  our 
fingers,  a  very  long  time  was  spent  in  making  up  our  bundles. 
This  task  fell  to  Hepburn's  share,  as  I  suffered  so  much  from  the 
cold  as  to  be  unable  to  take  my  hands  out  of  my  mittens.  We 
kept  a  straight  course  for  the  Dog-rib  Rock,  but,  owing  to  the 
depth  of  the  snow  in  the  valleys  we  had  to  cross,  did  not  reach 
it  until  late  in  the  afternoon.  We  would  have  encamped,  but  did 
not  like  to  pass  a  second  night  without  fire  ;  and  though  scarcely 
able  to  drag  our  limbs  after  us,  we  pushed  on  to  a  clump  of  pines, 
about  a  mile  to  the  southward  of  the  rock,  and  arrived  at  them  in 
the  dusk  of  the  evening.  During  the  last  few  hundred  yards  of 
our  march,  our  track  lay  over  some  large  stones,  amongst  which 
I  fell  down  upwards  of  twenty  times,  and  became  at  length  so  ex- 
hausted that  I  was  unable  to  stand.  If  Hepburn  had  not  exerted 
liimself  far  beyond  his  strength,  and  speedily  made  the  encamp- 
ment and  kindled  a  fire,  I  must  have  perished  on  the  spot.  This 
night  we  had  plenty  of  dry  wood. 

On  the  29th  we  had  clear  and  fine  weather.  We  set  out  at  mn- 
rise,  and  hurried  on  in  our  anxiety  to  reach  the  house,  but  our 
progress  was  much  impeded  by  the  great  depth  of  the  snow  in  the 
valleys.  Although  every  spot  of  ground  over  which  we  travelled 
to-day,  had  been  repeatedly  trodden  by  us,  yet  we  got  bewilder- 
ed in  a  small  lake.  We  took  it  for  Marten  Lake,  which  was 
three  Umps  its  size,  and  urncied  that  we  saw  the  rapid  and  the 


m  I 


# 


41S 


A    JOURNEY    To    THE  .SIfORES 


^fim.-:,i! 


km 


•i«f 


fii 


I'lJ 


grounds  about  tlie  fo*t,  although  they  were  still  far  distant.  Our 
disappointment  when  this  illusion  was  dispelled,  by  our  reaching; 
the  end  of  the  lake,  so  operated  on  our  feeble  minds  as  to  ex- 
haust our  strength,  and  we  decided  upon  encamping;  buf  upon 
ascending  a  small  eminence  to  look  for  a  clump  of  wood,  we 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  Big-Stone,  a  well  known  rock  upon  the 
summit  of  a  hill  opposite  to  the  Fort,  and  determined  upon  pro- 
ceeding. In  the  evening  we  saw  several  large  herds  of  rein- 
deer, but  Hepburn,  who  used  to  be  considered  a  good  marksman, 
was  now  unable  to  hold  the  gun  straight,  and  although  he  got 
near  them  all  his  efforts  proved  fruitless.  In  passing  through  a 
small  clump  of  pines  we  saw  a  flock  of  partridges,  and  he  succeed- 
ed in  killing  one  after  firing  several  shots.  We  came  in  sight  of 
the  fort  at  dusk,  and  it  is  impossible  to  describe  our  sensations, 
when  on  attaining  the  eminence  that  overlooks  it,  we  bt.  ^Ul  the 
smoke  issuing  from  one  of  the  chimneys.  From  not  havin,,  met 
with  any  footsteps  in  the  snow^  as  we  drew  nigh  our  once  cheer- 
ful residence,  we  had  been  agitated  by  many  melancholy  torebod- 
ings.  Upon  enteri/ig  the  now  desolate  building,  we  had  the  satis- 
faction of  embracing  Captain  Franklin,  but  no  words  can  convey 
an  idea  of  the  filth  and  wretchedness  that  met  our  eyes  on  look- 
ing around.  Our  own  misery  had  stolen  upon  us  by  degrees,  and 
we  were  accustomed  to  the  contemplation  of  each  other's  emacia- 
ted figures,  but  the  ghastly  countenances,  dilated  eye-balls,  and 
sepulchral  voices  of  Mr.  Frankliji  and  those  with  him,  were  more 
than  we  could  at  first  bear. 


I  fa 


C'jiicludon  of  Z)r,  Richarchon\-  JWirmtivc. 


The  morning  of  the  31st  was  very  cold,  the  wind  being  strong 
IVom  the  north.  Hepburn  went  again  in  quest  of  deer,  and  the 
Doctor  endeavoured  to  kill  some  partridges :  both  were  unsuc- 
cessful. A  '".rge  herd  of  deer  passed  close  to  the  house,  the  Doc- 
tor fired  once  at  them,  but  was  unable  to  pursue  them.    Adam 


#s- 


«l 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 

was  easier  this  clay,  and  left  his  bed.  Peltier  and  Saniandre  were 
much  weaker,  and  could  not  assist  in  the  labours  of  the  day.  Both 
complnined  of  soreness  in  the  throat,  and  Samandre  suffered 
much  from  cramps  in  his  fingers.  The  Doctor  and  Hepburn  began 
this  day  to  cut  the  wood,  and  also  brought  it  to  the  house.  Being 
too  weak  to  aid  in  these  laborious  tasks,  I  was  employed  in  search- 
ing for  bones,  and  cooking,  and  attending  to  our  more  weakly 
companions. 

In  the  evening  Peltier,  complaining  much  of  cold,  requested  of 
me  a  portion  of  z  blanket  to  repair  his  shirt  and  drawers.  The 
mending  of  these  articles  occupied  him  and  Samandre  until  past 
one  A.M.,  and  their  spirits  were  so  much  revived  by  the  employ- 
ment, that  they  conversed  even  cheerfully  the  whole  time.  Adam 
sat  up  with  them.  The  Doctor,  Hepburn,  and  myself,  went  to 
bed.  We  were  afterwards  agreeably  surprised  to  see  Peltier  and 
Samandre  carry  three  or  four  logs  of  wood  across  the  room  to 
replenish  the  fire,  which  induced  jjs  to  hope  they  still  possessed 
more  strength  than  we  had  supposed. 

November  1. — ^This  day  was  fine  and  mild.  Hepburn  went 
hunting,  but  was  as  usual  unsuccessful.  As  his  sti^ngth  was 
rapidly  declining,  we  advised  him  to  desist  from  the  pursuit  of 
deer ;  and  only  to  go  out  for  a  short  time  and  endeavour  to  kill  a 
few  partridges  for  Peltier  and  Samandre.  The  Doctor  obtained 
a  little  irijje  de  roche,  but  Peltier  could  not  eat  any  of  it,  and 
Samandr^  only  a  few  spoonfuls,  owing  to  the  soreness  of  their 
throats.  In  the  afternoon  Peltier  was  so  much  exhausted,  that  he 
sat  up  with  difficulty,  and  looked  piteously;  at  length  he  slided 
from  his  stool  upon  his  bed,  as  we  supposed  to  sleep,  and  in  thi; 
composed  state  he  remained  upwards  of  two  hours,  without  oui 
apprehending  any  danger.  We  were  then  alarmed  by  hearing  ; 
rattling  in  his  throat,  and  on  the  Doctor's  examining  him  he  was 
found  to  be  speechless.  He  died  in  the  course  of  the  night.  Sa- 
mandre sat  up  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  and  even  assisted  in 
pounding  some  bones ;  but  on  witnessing  the  melancholy  state  oi 
Peltier,  he  became  very  low,  and  began  to  complain  of  cold  and 
stiffness  of  the  joints.  Being  unable  to  keep  up  a  sufficient  fire  to 
warm  him,  we  laid  him  down  and  covered  him  with  several  blanket 


■!&, 


wm 


414 


A   JOURNEY    TO    THt    SlfORLa 


m 
m 


"'i§1|J^^f 


He  did  not,  however,  appear  to  ||et  better,  and  I  deeply  lament 
to  add,  he  also  died  before  daylight.  We  removed  the  bodies  of 
the  deceased  into  the  opposite  part  of  the  house,  but  our  united 
strength  was  inadequate  to  the  task  of  interring  them,  or  even 
carrying  them  down  to  the  river. 

It  may  he  worthy  of  remark  that  poor  Peltier,  from  the  time 
of  IJenoit's  departure,  had  fixed  on  the  first  of  November  as  the 
time  when  he  should  cease  to  expect  any  relief  from  the  Indians, 
and  had  repeatedly  said  that  if  they  did  not  arrive  by  that  day. 
he  should  not  survive. 

Peltier  had  endeared  himself  to  each  of  us  by  his  cheerfulness, 
his  unceasing  activity,  and  affectionate  care  and  attentions,  ever 
since  our  arrival  at  this  place.  He  had  nursed  Adam  with  the 
tenderest  solicitude  the  whole  time.  Poor  Samandre  was  will- 
ing to  have  taken  his  share  in  the  labours  of  the  party,  had  he 
not  been  wholly  incapacitated  by  his  weakness  and  low  spirits. 
The  severe  shock  occasioned  by  the  sudden  dissolution  of  our 
two  companions  rendered  us  very  melancholy.  Adam  bee  e 
low  and  despondent,  a  change  which  we  lamented  the  mo 
\vc  had  perceived  he  had  been  gaining  strength  and  spirits  for  tlie 
two  preceding  days.  I  was  particularly  distressed  by  the  thought 
that  the  labour  of  collecting  wood  must  now  devolve  upon  Dr. 
Richardson  and  Hepburn,  and  that  my  debility  would  disable  me 
trom  affording  them  any  material  assistance;  indeed  both  of  them 
most  kindly  urged  me  not  to  make  the  attempt.  They  were  oc- 
cupied the  whole  of  the  next  day  in  tearing  down  the  logs  of  which 
the  store-house  was  built,  but  the  mud  plastered  between  them  was 
so  hard  frozen  that  the  labour  of  separation  exceeded  their 
strength,  and  they  were  completely  exhausted  by  bringing  in 
wood  sufficient  for  less  than  twelve  hours'  consumption. 

I  found  it  necessary  in  their  absence,  to  remain  constantly  near 
Adam,  and  to  converse  with  him,  in  order  to  prevent  his  refllect- 
itig  on  our  condition,  and  to  keep  up  his  spirits  as  far  as  possible. 
I  also  lay  by  his  side  at  night. 

On  the  3d  the  weather  was  very  cold,  though  the  atmosphere 
was  cloudy.  This  morning  Hepburn  was  affected  with  swelling 
ill  his  limbs,  his  strength  as  well  as  that  of  the  Doctor,  was  rapidly 


^\i 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


'11; 


declining;  they  continued,  however,  to  be  full  of  hope.  Their 
utmost  exertions  coulil  only  supply  wood  to  renew  the  fire  ihrice, 
und  on  making  it  up  the  last  time  we  went  to  bed.  Adam  wan 
in  rather  better  spirits,  but  he  coidd  not  bear  to  be  left  alone. 
Our  stock  of  bones  was  exhausted  by  a  small  quantity  of  soup 
we  made  this  evening.  The  toil  of  separating  the  hair  from  the 
skins,  which  in  fact  were  our  chief  support,  had  now  become  so 
wearisome  as  to  prevent  us  from  eating  as  much  as  we  should 
otherwise  have  done. 

November  4. — Calm  and  comparatively  mild  weather.  The 
Doctor  and  Hepburn,  exclusive  of  their  usual  occupation,  gather- 
ed some  tripe  tie  roche.  I  went  a  few  yards  from  the  house  in 
search  of  bones,  and  returned  quite  fatigued,  having  found  but 
three.  The  Doctor  again  made  incisions  in  Adam's  legs,  which 
discharged  a  considerable  quantity  of  wiUer,  and  gave  him  great 
relief.  We  read  prayers  and  a  portion  o-^  the  New  Testament  in 
the  morning  and  evening,  as  had  been  our  |  <ucticc  since  Dr. 
Richardson's  arrival ;  and  I  may  remark  that  the  performance  of 
tliese  duties  always  afforded  us  the  greatest  consolation,  serving 
to  reanimate  our  hope  in  the  mercy  of  the  Omnipotent,  who  alone- 
could  save  and  deliver  us. 

On  the  5th  the  breezes  were  light,  with  dark  cloudy  weather, 
and  some  snow.  The  Doctor  and  Hepburn  were  getting  much 
weaker,  and  the  limbs  of  the  latter  were  now  greatly  swelled. 
They  came  into  the  house  frequently  in  the  course  of  the  day  to 
rest  themselves,  and  when  once  seated,  were  unable  to  rise  with- 
out the  help  of  one  another,  or  of  a  stick.  Adam  was  for  the 
most  part  in  the  same  low  state  as  yesterday,  but  sometimes  he 
surprised  us  by  getting  up  and  walking  with  an  appearance  of  in- 
creased strength.  His  looks  were  now  wild  and  ghastly,  and  his 
conversation  was  often  incoherent. 

The  next  day  was  fine,  but  very  cold.  The  swellings  in 
Adam's  limbs  having  subsided,  he  was  free  from  pain,  and  arose 
this  morning  in  much  better  spirits,  and  spoke  of  cleaning  his  gun 
ready  for  shooting  partridges,  or  any  animals  that  might  appear 
near  the  house,  but  his  tone  entirely  changed  before  the  day  was 
half  over ;  he  became  again  dejected,  and  could  scarcely  be  prc- 


ml 

■  'I  4 

Ml* 


'hli 


^\G 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SlIORIiS 


mi 


vailed  upon  to  eat.  The  Doctor  and  Hepburn  were  almost  ex- 
hausted. The  cutting  of  one  log  of  wood  occupied  the  latter  halt 
an  hour ;  and  the  other  took  as  much  time  to  drag  it  into  the 
house,  though  the  distance  did  not  exceed  thirty  yards.  I  en- 
deavoured to  help  the  Doctor,  hut  my  assistance  was  very  triflin"-. 
Yet  it  was  evident  that,  in  a  day  or  two,  if  their  strength  should 
continue  to  decline  at  the  same  rate,  I  should  be  the  strongest  of 
the  party. 

I  may  here  remark,  that  owing  to  our  loss  of  flesh,  the  hard- 
ness of  the  floor,  from  which  we  were  only  protected  bv  a 
blanket,  produced  soreness  over  the  body,  and  especially  those 
parts  on  which  the  weight  rested  in  Ij'ing,  yet  to  tui;n  ourselves 
for  relief  was  a  matter  of  toil  and  difficulty.  However,  during 
this  period,  and  indeed  all  along  after  the  acute  pains  of  hunger, 
which  lasted  but  three  or  four  days,  had  subsided,  we  generally 
enjoyed  the  comfort  rf  a  few  hours'  sleep.  The  dreams  which 
for  the  most  part,  but  not  always  accompanied  it,  were  usually 
(though  not  invariably,)  of  a  pleasant  character,  being  very  often 
about  the  enjoyments  of  feasting.  In  the  day-time  we  fell  into 
the  practice  of  coversing  on  common  and  light  subjects,  although 
we  sometimes  discussed  with  seriousness  and  earnestness  topics 
connected  with  religion.  We  generally  avoided  speaking  directly 
of  our  present  sufferings,  or  even  of  the  prospect  of  relief.  1 
observed,  that  in  proportion  as  our  strength  decayed,  our  minds 
exhibited  symptoms  of  weakness,  evinced  by  a  kind  of  unreason- 
able pettishness  with  each  other.  Each  of  us  thought  the  other 
weaker  in  intellect  than  himself,  and  more  in  need  of  advice  and 
assistance.  So  trifling  a  circumstance  as  a  change  of  place  re- 
commended by  one  as  being  warmer  and  more  comfortable,  and 
refused  by  the  other  from  a  dread  of  motion,  frequently  called 
forth  fretful  expressions  which  were  no  sooner  uttered  than  atoned 
for,  to  be  repeated  perhaps  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes.  The 
same  thing  often  occurred  when  we  endeavoured  to  as..ist  each 
other  in  carrying  wood  to  the  fire ;  none  of  us  were  willing  to 
receive  assistance,  although  the  task  was  disproportionate  to  our 
strength.  On  one  of  ih.ese  occasions  Hepburn  was  so  convinced  of 
this  way  .vr^rdness  that  he  exclaimed,  •'  Dear  me,  if  we  are  spared 


m, 


t 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


41' 


to  return  to  England,  I  wonder  if  we  shall  recover  our  under- 
standings." 

November  7. — Adam  had  passed  a  restless  night,  being  dis- 
quieted by  gloomy  apprehensions  of  approaching  death,  which 
we  tried  in  vain  to  dispel.  He  was  so  low  in  the  morning  as  to 
be  scarcely  able  to  speak.  I  remained  in  bed  by  his  side  to  cheer 
him  as  much  as  possible.  The  Doctor  and  Hepburn  went  to  cut 
wood.  They  had  hardly  begun  their  labour,  when  they  were 
amazed  at  hearing  the  report  of  a  musket.  They  could  scarcely 
believe  that  there  was  really  any  ono  near,  until  they  heard  a 
a  shout,  and  immediately  espied  three  Indians  close  to  the  house. 
Adam  and  I  heard  the  latter  noise,  and  I  was  fearful  that  a  part 
of  the  house  had  fallen  upon  one  of  my  companions,  a  disaster 
which  had  in  fact  bein  thought  not  unlikely.  My  alarm  was 
only  momentary.  Dr.  Richardson  came  in  to  communicate  the 
joyful  irtelligence  that  relief  had  arrived.  He  and  myself  im- 
mediately addressed  thanksgiving  to  the  throne  of  mercy  for  this 
deliverance,  but  poor  Adam  was  in  so  low  a  state  that  he  could 
scarcely  comprehend  the  information.  When  the  Indians  enter- 
ed, he  attempted  to  rise  but  sank  down  r.  jain.  But  for  this  sea- 
sonable interposition  of  Providence,  his  existence  must  have 
terminated  in  a  few  hours,  and  that  of  the  rest  probably  in  not 
many  days. 

The  Indians  had  left  Akaitcho's  encampment  on  the  5th  I^o- 
vember,  having  been  sent  by  Mr.  Back  with  all  possible  expedi- 
tion, after  he  had  arrived  at  their  tents.  They  brought  but  a 
small  supply  of  provision,  that  they  might  travel  quickly.  It  con- 
sisted of  dried  deer's  meat,  some  fat,  and  a  few  tongues.  Dr. 
Richardson,  Hepburn,  and  I,  eagerly  devoured  the  food,  which 
they  imprudently  presented  to  us,  in  too  great  abundance,  and  in 
consequence  we  suffered  dreadfully  from  indigestion,  and  had  no 
rest  the  whole  night.  Adam  being  unable  to  feed  himself,  was 
more  judiciously  treated  by  them,  and  suffered  less ;  his  spii  its  re- 
vived hourly.  The  circumstance  of  our  eating  more  food  than  was 
proper  in  our  present  condition,  was  another  striking  proof  of  the 
debility  of  our  minds.  We  were  perfectly  aware  of  the  danger, 
and  Dr.  Richardson  repeatedly  cautioned  us  to  be  moderate  ;  but 

s  r. 


418 


A  JOURNEY   TO  THE   SHOHES 


i^ 


f% 


he  was  himself  unable  to  practise  the  caution  he  so  judiciously  re- 
commended. 

Boudel-kell,  the  youngest  of  the  Indians,  after  resting;  about  an 
hour,  returned  to  Akaitcho  with  the  intelligence  of  our  situation, 
and  he  conveyed  a  note  from  me  to  Mr.  Back,  requesting  another 
supply  of  meat  as  soon  as  possible.  The  two  others,  *'  Crooked- 
Foot  and  the  Rat,"  remained  to  take  care  of  us,  until  we  should 
be  able  to  move  forward. 

The  note  I  received  by  the  Indians  from  Mr.  Back,  communi- 
cated a  tale  of  distress  with  regard  to  himself  and  his  party,  as 
painful  as  that  which  we  had  suffered ;  as  will  be  seen  hereafter, 
by  his  own  narrative. 

November  8. — The  Indians  this  morning  requested  us  to  remove 
to  an  encampment  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  as  they  were  unwil- 
ling to  remain  in  the  house  in  which  the  bodies  of  our  deceased 
companions  were  lying  exposed  to  view.  We  agreed  to  remove, 
but  the  day  proved  too  stormy,  and  Dr.  Richardson  and  Hepburn 
having  dragged  the  bodies  to  a  short  distance,  and  covered  them 
with  snow,  the  objections  of  the  Indians  to  remain  in  the  house 
were  removed,  and  they  began  to  clear  our  room  of  the  accumu- 
lation of  dirt  and  fragments  of  pounded  bones.  The  improved 
state  of  our  apartment,  and  the  large  and  cheerful  fires  they  kept 
up,  produced  in  us  a  sensation  of  comfort  to  which  we  had  long 
beqp  strangers.  In  the  evening  they  brought  in  a  pile  of  dried 
woo(^  which  was  lying  on  the  river  side,  and  on  which  we  had 
often  cast  a  wishful  eye,  being  unable  to  drag  it  up  the  bank. 
The  Indians  set  about  every  thing  with  an  activity  that  amazed 
us.  Indeed,  contrasted  with  our  emaciated  figures  and  extreme 
debility,  their  frames  appeared  to  us  gigantic,  and  their  strenc;th 
supernatural.  These  kind  creatures  next  turned  their  attention  to 
our  personal  appearance,  and  prevailed  upon  us  to  shave  and  wash 
ourselves.  The  beards  of  the  Doctor  and  Hepburn  had  been  un- 
touched since  they  left  the  sea  coast,  and  were  become  of  a  hideous 
length,  and  peculiarly  offensive  to  the  Indians.*     The  Doctor  and 


*  'I'he  first  alvine  discbarges  uftcr  we  received  food,  were,  as  Hearnc  re 
marks  on  a  similar  occasion,  attended  with  excessive  pain.     Previous  to  the 


Ixl 


OF  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


419 


I  sufl'ered  extremely  from  distention,  and  therefore  ate  sparingly. 
Hepburn  was  getting  better,  and  Adam  recovered  his  strength 
with  amazing  rapidity. 

November  9. — This  morning  was  pleasantly  fine.  Crooked-Foot 
caught  four  large  trout  in  Winter  Lake,  which  were  very  much 
prized,  especially  by  the  Doctor  and  myself,  who  had  taken  a 
dislike  to  meat,  in  consequence  of  our  sufferings  from  repletion, 
which  rendered  us  almost  incapable  of  moving.  Adam  and  Hep- 
burn in  a  great  measure  escaped  this.  Though  the  night  was 
stormy,  and  our  apartment  freely  admitted  the  wind,  we  felt  no 
inconvenience,  the  Indians  were  so  very  careful  in  covering  us  up, 
and  in  keeping  a  good  fire ;  and  our  plentiful  cheer  gave  such 
power  of  resisting  the  cold,  that  we  could  scarcely  believe  other- 
wise than  that  the  seasoH  had  become  milder. 

On  the  13th,  the  weather  was  stormy,  with  constant  snow. 
The  Indians  became  desponding  at  the  non-arrival  of  the  supply, 
and  would  neither  go  to  hunt  nor  fish.  They  frequently  expressed 
their  fears  of  sotue  misfortune  having  befallen  Boudel-kell ;  and, 
in  the  evening,  went  off  suddenly,  without  apprizing  us  of  their 
intention,  having  first  given  to  each  of  us  a  handful  of  pounded 
meat,  which  they  had  reserved.  Their  departure,  at  first,  gave 
rise  to  a  suspicion  of  their  having  deserted  us,  not  meaning  to  re- 
turn, especially  as  the  explanations  of  Adam,  who  appeared  to  be 
in  their  secret,  were  very  unsatisfactory.  length,  by  interro- 

gations, we  got  from  him  the  information,  that  they  designed  to 
march  night  and  day,  until  they  should  reach  Akaitcho's  encamp- 
ment, whence  they  would  send  us  aid.  As  we  had  cnibated 
their  fears  about  Boudel-kell,  they,  perhaps,  apprehended  that  we 
should  oppose  their  determination,  and  therefore  concealed  it.  We 
were  now  left  a  second  time  without  food,  and  with  appetites  rt 
covered,  and  strongly  excited  by  recent  indulgence. 

On  the  following  day  the  Doctor  and  Hepburn  resumed  their 
former  occupation  of  collecting  wood,  and  I  was  able  to  assist  a 

arrival  of  the  Indians,  the  urinary  secretion  was  extremely  abundant,  and  we 
were  obliged  to  rise  from  bed  in  consequence  upwards  of  teii  times  in  a  night. 
This  was  an  extreme  annoyance  in  our  reduced  state.  It  may,  perhaps,  he 
attributed  to  the  quantity  of  the  country  tea  that  we  ilrank. 


t 


420 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


little  in  bringing  it  into  the  house.  Adam,  whose  ejcpectation  of 
the  arrival  of  the  Indians  had  been  raised  by  the  fineness  of  the 
weather,  became,  towards  night,  very  desponding,  and  refused  to 
eat  the  singed  skin.  The  night  was  stormy,  and  there  was  a  heavy 
fall  of  snow.  The  next  day  he  became  still  more  dejected.  About 
eleven  Hepburn,  who  had  gone  cut  for  wood,  came  in  with  the 
intelligence  that  a  party  appeared  upon  the  river.  The  room  was 
instantly  swf^pt,  and,  in  compliance  with  the  prejudices  of  the  In- 
dians, every  scrap  of  skin  was  carefully  removed  out  of  sight;  for 
these  simple  people  imagine,  that  burning  deer-skin  renders  them 
unsuccessful  in  hunting.  The  party  proved  to  be  Crooked-Foot, 
Thooee-yorre,  and  the  Foj),  with  the  wives  of  the  two  latter  drag- 
ging provisions.  They  were  accompanied  by  Benoit,  one  of  our 
own  men. 

We  were  rejoiced  to  learn,  by  a  note  from  Mr.  Back,  dated 
November  11,  that  he  and  his  companions  had  so  recruited  their 
strength  that  they  were  prepaiing  to  proceed  to  Fort  Providence. 
Adam  recovered  his  spirits  on  the  arrival  of  the  Indians,  and  even 
walked  about  the  room  with  an  appearance  of  strength  and  activity 
that  surprised  us  all.     As  it  was  of  consequence  to  get  amongst 
the  rein-deer  before  our  present  supply  should  fail,  we  made  pre- 
parations for  quitting  Fort  Enterprize  the  next  day  ;  and,  accord- 
ingly, at  an  early  hour  on  the  16th,  having  united  in  thanksgiving 
and  prayer,  the  whole  party  left  the  house  after  breakfast.     Our 
feelings  on  quitting  the  Fort,  where  we  had  formerly  enjoyed 
much  comfort,  if  not  happiness,  and,  latterly,  experienced  a  de- 
gree of  misery  scarcely  to  be  paralleled,  may  be  more  easily  con- 
ceived than  described.     The  Indians  treated  us  with  the  utmost 
tenderness,  gave  us  their  snow  shoes  and  walked  without  them- 
selves, keeping  by  our  sides,  that  they  might  lift  us  when  we  fell. 
We  descended  Winter  River,  and,  about  noon,  crossed  the  head 
of  Round-Rock  Lake,  distant  about  three  miles  from  the  house, 
where  we  were  obliged  to  halt,  as  Dr.  Richardson  was  unable  to 
proceed.     The  swellings  in  his  limbs  rendered  him  by  much  the 
weakest  of  the  party.     The  Indians  prepared  our  encampment, 
cooked  for  us,  and  fed  us  as  if  we  tead  beon  children ;  evincing 


mm 


mmm 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 

humanity  that  would  have  done  honour  to  the  most  civilized  people. 
The  night  was  mild,  and  fatigue  made  us  sleep  soundly. 

From  this  period  to  the  26th  of  November  we  gradually  con- 
tinued to  improve,  under  the  kindness  and  attention  of    lur  In- 
dianvS.     On  this  day  we  arrived  in  safety  at  the  abode  of  our  chief 
and  companion,  Akaitcho.     We  were  received  by  the  party  as- 
sembled in  the  leader's  tent,  with  looks  of  compassion,  and  pro- 
found silence,  which  lasted  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  by 
which  they  meant  to  express  their  condolence  for  our  suH'erings. 
The  conversation  did  not  begin  until  we  had  tasted  food.      The 
Chief,  Akaitcho,  shewed  us  the  most  friendly  hospitality,  and  all 
sorts  of  personal  attention,  even  to  cooking  for  us  with  his  own 
hands,  an  office  which  he  never  performs  for  himself.  Annoethai- 
yazzeh  and  Humpy,  the  Chief's  two  brothers,  and  several  of  our 
hunters,  with  their  families,  were  encamped  here,  together  with 
a  number  of  old  men  and  women.     In  the  course  of  the  day  we 
were  visited  by  every  person  of  the  band,  not  merely  from  curio- 
sity, I  conceive,  but  rather  from  a  desire  to  evince  their  tender 
sympathy  in  our  late  distress.     We  learned  that  Mr.  Back,  with 
St.  Germain  and  Belanger,  had  gone  to  Fort  Providence ;  and  that, 
previous  to  his  departure,  he  had  left  a  letter  in  a  cache  of  pound- 
ed meat,  which  he  had  missed  two  days  ago.     As  we  supposed 
that  this  letter  might  acquaint  us  with  his  intentions  more  fully 
than  we  could  gather  from  the  Indians,  through  our  imperfect 
knowledge  of  their  language,  Augustus,  the  Esquimaux,  whom 
we  found  here  in  perfect  health,  and  an  Indian  lad,  were  des- 
patched to  bring  it. 

We  found  several  of  the  Indian  families  in  great  affliction,  for 
the  loss  of  three  of  their  relatives,  who  had  been  drowned  in  the 
August  preceding,  by  the  upsetting  of  a  canoe  near  to  Fort  Enter- 
prize.  They  bewailed  the  melancholy  accident  every  morning 
and  evening,  by  repeating  the  names  of  the  persons  in  a  loud 
singing  tone,  which  was  frequently  interrupted  by  bursts  of  tears. 
Une  woman  was  so  atfected  by  the  loss  of  her  only  son,  that  she 
seemed  deprived  of  reason,  and  wandered  about  the  tents  the 
whole  day,  crying  and  singing  out  his  name. 


^r 


A%% 


A    .lOLJRNKY    TO    THE    SHORES 


■%!  ■■|ai«»-:9 


mm 


On  the  1st  of  December  we  removed  with  the  Indians  to  the 
southward. 

On  the  4th,  we  again  set  off  after  the  Indians  about  noon,  and 
soon  overtook  ihem,  as  they  had  halted,  to  drag  from  the  water 
and  cut  up  and  share,  a  moose-deer,  that  had  been  drowned  in  a 
rapid  part  of  the  river,  partially  covered  with  ice.  These  opera- 
tions detained  us  a  long  time,  which  was  the  more  disagreeable, 
as  the  weather  was  extremely  unpleasant  from  cold  low  fogs.  We 
■were  all  much  fatigued  at  the  hour  of  encampment,  which  was 
after  dark,  though  the  day's  journey  did  not  exceed  four  miles. 
At  every  halt  the  elderly  men  of  the  tribe  used  to  make  holes  in 
the  ice  and  put  in  their  lines.  One  of  them  shared  the  produce 
of  his  fishery  with  us  this  evening. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  6th,  lielanger,  and  anothev  Canadian, 
arrived  from  Fort  Providence,  sent  by  Mr.  Weeks,  witn  two  trains 
of  dogs,  some  spirits  and  tobacco  for  the  Indians,  a  change  of  dress 
for  ourselves,  and  a  little  tea  and  sugar.  They  also  brought  let- 
ters for  us  from  England,  and  from  Mr.  Back  and  Mr.  Wentzel. 
By  the  former  we  received  the  gratifying  intelligence  of  the  suc- 
cessful termination  of  Captain  Parry's  voyage  ;  and  were  inform- 
ed of  the  promotion  of  myself  and  Mr.  Back,  and  of  poor  Hood, 
our  grief  for  whose  loss  was  renewed  by  this  intelligence.  The 
gratification  whicii  it  would  otherwise  have  aflforded,  was  mate- 
rially damped  by  our  sincere  regret  that  he  had  not  lived  to  re- 
ceive this  just  reward  of  his  merit  and  services.  The  letter  from 
Mr.  Back  stated,  that  the  rival  Coiiipanies  in  the  fur  trade  had 
united ;  but  that,  owing  to  some  cause  which  haa  not  been  ex- 
plained to  him,  the  goods  intended  as  rewards  to  Akaitchoand  his 
band,  which  we  had  demanded  in  the  spring  from  the  North- West 
Company,  were  not  sent.  There  were,  however,  some  stores 
lying  for  us  at  Moose-deer  Island,  which  had  been  ordered  for 
the  equipment  of  our  voyagers;  and  Mr.  Back  had  gone  across 
to  that  establishment,  to  make  a  selection  of  the  articles  we  could 
spare  for  a  temporary  present  to  the  Indians.  The  disappoint- 
ment at  the  non-arrival  of  the  goods  was  seriously  felt  by  us,  as 
we  had  looked  forward  with  pleasure  to  the  time  when  we  should 
be  enabled  to  recompense  our  kind  Indian  friends,  for  their  tender 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


433 


.'sympathy  in  our  distresses,  and  the  assistance  they  had  so  cheer- 
fully and  promptly  rendered.  I  now  regretted  to  find,  that  Mr. 
Wentzel  and  his  party,  in  their  return  from  the  sea,  had  suffered 
severely  on  their  march  along  the  Copper-Mine  River,  having  on 
one  occasion,  as  he  mentioned,  had  no  food  but  tripe  de  roche  for 
eleven  days. 

All  the  Indians  flocked  to  our  encampment  to  learn  the  news, 
and  to  receive  the  articles  brought  for  them.  Having  got  some 
spirits  and  tobacco,  they  withdrew  to  the  tent  of  the  Chief,  and 
passed  the  greater  part  of  the  night  in  singing.  We  had  now  the 
indescribable  gratification  of  changing  our  linen,  which  we  had 
worn  ever  smce  our  departure  from  the  sea-coast. 

December  8. — After  a  long  conference  with  Akaitcho,  we  took 
leave  of  him  and  his  kind  companions,  and  set  out  with  two 
sledges,  heavily  laden  with  provision  and  bedding,  drawn  by  the 
dogs,  and  conducted  by  Belanger  and  the  Canadian  sent  by  Mr. 
Weeks.  Hepburn  and  A  ugustus  jointly  dragged  a  smaller  sledge, 
laden  principally  with  their  own  bedding.  Adam  and  Benoit 
were  left  to  follow  with  the  Indians.  We  encamped  on  the 
Grassy -Lake  Portage,  having  walked  about  nine  miles,  principally 
on  the  Yellow-Knife  River.  It  was  open  at  the  rapids,  and  in 
these  places  we  had  to  ascend  its  banks,  and  walk  through  the 
woods  for  some  distance,  which  was  very  fatiguing,  especially  to 
Dr.  Richardson,  whose  feet  were  severely  galled  in  consequence 
of  some  defect  in  his  snow-shoes. 

On  the  11th,  however,  we  arrived  at  the  fort;  it  was  still  under 
the  charge  of  Mr.  Weeks.  He  welcomed  us  in  the  most  kind 
manner,  immediately  gave  us  changes  of  dress,  and  did  every 
thing  in  his  power  to  make  us  comfortable. 

Our  sensations,  on  being  once  more  in  a  comfortable  dwelling, 
after  the  series  of  hardships  and  miseries  we  had  experienced,  will 
be  much  better  imagmed  than  any  language  of  mine  can  describe 
them.  Our  first  act  was  again  to  return  our  grateful  praises  to 
the  Almighty  for  the  manifold  instances  of  his  mercy  towards  us. 
Having  found  here  some  articles,  which  Mr.  Back  had  sent  across 
from  Moose-deer  Island,  I  determined  on  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
Akaitcho  and  his  party,  in  order  to  present  these  to  them,  and  to 


424 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


"HP 


£3. 


n 


C  "  1) 


,'i'i'' 


assure  them  of  the  promised  reward,  as  soon  as  it  could  possibly 
be  procured. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  14th,  Akaitcho,  with  his  whole  band 
came  to  the  Fort.  He  smoked  his  customary  pipe,  and  made  an 
address  to  Mr.  Weeks  in  the  hall,  previous  to  his  coming  into  the 
room  in  which  Dr.  Richardson  and  I  were.  We  discovered  at  the 
commencement  of  his  speech  to  us,  that  he  had  been  informed 
that  our  expected  supplies  had  not  come.  He  spoke  of  this  cir- 
cumstance as  a  disappointment,  indeed,  sufficiently  severe  to  him- 
self, to  whom  his  band  looked  up  for  the  protection  of  their  inte- 
rests, but  without  attaching  any  blame  to  us.  "The  world  goes 
badly,"  he  said,  "  all  are  poor,  you  are  poor,  the  traders  appear 
to  be  poor,  I  and  my  party  are  poor  likewise ;  and  since  the  goods 
have  not  come  in,  we  cannot  have  them.  I  do  not  regret  having 
supplied  you  with  provisions,  for  a  Copper  Indian  can  never  per- 
mit white  men  to  suffer  from  want  of  food  on  his  lands,  without 
flying  to  their  aid.  I  trust,  however,  that  we  shall,  as  you  say, 
receive  what  is  due  next  autumn ;  and  at  all  events,"  he  added, 
in  a  tone  of  good-humour,  "  it  is  the  first  time  that  the  white  peo- 
ple have  been  indebted  to  the  Copper  Indians."  We  assured  him 
the  supplies  should  certainly  be  sent  to  him  by  the  autumn,  if  not 
before.  He  then  cheerfully  received  the  small  present  we  made 
to  himself ;  and,  although,  we  could  give  a  few  things  only  to  those 
who  had  been  most  active  in  our  service,  the  others  who,  perhaps, 
thought  themselves  equally  deserving,  did  not  murmur  at  being  left 
out  in  the  distribution.  Akaitcho  afterwards  expressed  a  strong 
desire,  that  we  should  represent  the  character  of  his  nation  in  a 
favourable  light  to  our  countrymen.  "  1  know,"  he  said,  "  you 
write  down  every  occurrence  in  your  books ;  but  probably  you 
have  only  noticed  the  bad  things  we  have  said  and  done,  and  have 
omitted  to  mention  the  good."  in  the  course  of  the  desultory  con- 
versation which  ensued,  he  said,  that  he  had  been  always  told  by 
us,  to  consider  the  traders  in  the  same  light  as  ourselves  ;  and  that 
for  his  part,  he  looked  upon  both  as  equally  respectable.  This  as- 
surance, made  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Weeks,  was  particularly 
gratifying  to  us,  as  it  completely  disproved  the  defence  that  had 
been  set  up,  respecting  the  injurious  reports  that  had  been  circu 


or    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


425 


lated  against  us,  amongst  the  Indians  in  the  spring  -,  namely,  that, 
they  were  in  retaliation  for  our  endeavours  to  lower  the  traders  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Indians.  I  take  this  opportunity  of  stating  n»y 
opinion,  that  Mr.  Weeks,  in  spreauing  these  reports,  was  actuat- 
ed by  a  mistaken  idea  that  he  was  ser  ^  ing  the  interest  of  his  em- 
ployers. On  the  present  occasion,  we  felt  indebted  to  him  for 
the  sympathy  he  displayed  for  our  distresses,  and  the  kindness 
with  which  he  administered  to  our  personal  wants.  After  this 
conference,  such  Indians  as  were  indebted  to  the  Company  were 
paid  for  the  provision  they  had  given  us,  by  deducting  a  corre- 
sponding sum  from  their'debts  ;  in  the  same  way  we  gave  a  reward 
of  sixteen  skins  of  beaver  to  each  of  the  persons  who  had  come 
to  our  relief  at  Fort  Enterprize.  As  the  debts  of  Akaitcho  and 
his  hunters  had  been  efiaced  at  the  time  of  his  engagement  with  us, 
we  placed  a  sum,  equal  to  the  amount  of  provision  they  had  recently 
supplied,  to  their  credit  on  the  Company's  books.  These  things 
being,  through  the  moderation  of  the  Indians,  adjusted  with  an 
unexpected  facility,  we  gave  them  a  keg  of  mixed  liquors,  ''^'ve 
parts  water,)  and  distributed  among  them  several  fathoms  of  i- 
bacco,  and  they  retired  to  their  tents  to  spend  the  night  in  merri- 
ment. 

Adam,  our  interpreter,  being  desirous  of  uniting  himself  with 
the  Copper  Indians,  applied  to  me  for  his  discharge,  which  I 
granted,  and  gave  him  a  bill  on  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  for 
the  amount  of  his  wages.  These  arrangements  being  completed,  we 
prepared  to  cross  the  lake. 

Mr.  Weekp  nro'lded  Dr.  Richardson  and  me  with  a  cariole  each, 
and  we  set  t  >l  eleven  A.M.,  on  the  15th,  for  Moose-deer 
Island.  Our  party  consisted  of  Belanger,  who  had  charge  of  a 
sledge,  laden  with  the  bedding,  and  drawn  by  two  dogs,  our  two 
cariole  men,  Benoit,  and  Augustus.  Previous  to  our  departure, 
we  had  another  conference  with  Akaitcho,  who,  as  well  as  the  rest 
of  his  party,  bade  us  farewell,  with  a  warmth  of  manner  rare 
among  the  Indians. 

The  badness  of  Belangci's  dogs,  and  the  roughness  of  the  ice, 
impeded  our  progress  very  much,  and  obliged  us  to  encamp  early. 
We  had  a  good  fire  made  of  the  drift  wood,  which  lines  the  shores 

3H 


426 


A   JOURNEY    TO   THE    SHORES 


I 


iiif 


li^-* 


w.  t 


of  this  lake  in  great  quantities.  The  next  day  was  very  cold. 
We  began  the  journey  at  nine  A.M.,  and  encamped  at  the  Big 
Cape,  having  made  another  short  march,  in  consequence  of  the 
roughness  of  the  ice. 

On  the  17th,  we  encamped  on  the  most  southerly  of  the  Rein- 
deer Islands.  This  night  was  very  stormy,  but  the  wind  abating 
in  the  morning,  we  proceeded,  and  by  sunset  reached  the  fishing- 
huts  of  the  Company  at  Stony  Point.  Here  we  found  Mr.  An- 
drews, a  clerk  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who  regaled  us 
with  a  supper  of  excellent  white  fish,  for  which  this  part  of  Slave 
Lake  is  particularly  celebrated.  Two  men  with  sledges  arrived 
soon  afterwards,  sent  by  Mr.  M'Vicar,  who  expected  us  about 
this  time.  We  set  off  in  the  morning  before  day-break,  with  several 
companions,  and  arrived  at  Moose-deer  Island  about  one  P.M. 
Here  we  were  received  with  the  utmost  hospitality  by  Mr.  M'Vicar, 
the  chief  trader  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  this  district,  as 
well  as  by  his  assistant,  Mr.  M'Auley.  We  had  also  the  happi- 
ness of  joining  our  friend  Mr.  Back ;  our  feelings  on  this  occasion 
can  be  well  imagined  ;  we  were  deeply  impressed  with  gratitude 
to  him  for  his  exertions  in  sending  the  supply  of  food  to  FortEn- 
tcrprize,  to  which,  under  Divine  Providence,  we  felt  the  preser- 
vation of  our  lives  to  be  owing.  He  gave  us  an  affecting  detail 
of  the  proceedings  of  his  party  since  our  separation ;  the  substance 
of  which  I  shall  convey  to  the  reader,  by  the  following  extracts 
from  his  Journal. 


Mr.  BACK'S  NARRATIVE. 


1B21 

October  4.  Mr.  Franklin  having  directed  me  to  proceed  with 
St.  Germain,  Belanger,  and  Beauparlant,  to  Fort  Enterprize,  in 
the  hope  of  obtaining  relief  for  the  party,  I  took  leave  of  my  com- 
panions, and  set  out  on  my  journey,  through  a  very  swampy 
country,  which,  with  the  cloudy  state  of  the  weather,  and  a  keen 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


487 


north-cast  wind,  accompanied  by  frequent  snow  showers,  retarded 
us  so  much,  that  we  scarcely  got  more  than  four  miles,  when  we 
halted  for  the  night,  and  made  a  meal  of  tripe  de  roche  and  some 
old  leather.  * 

On  the  5th,  wc  set  out  early,  amidst  extremely  deep  snow, 
sinking  frequently  in  it  up  to  the  thighs,  a  labour  in  our  enfeebled 
and  almost  worn  out  state,  that  nothing  but  the  cheering  hopes  of 
reaching  the  house,  and  affording  relief  to  our  friends,  could  have 
enabled  us  to  support.  As  we  advanced,  we  found  to  our  morti- 
fication that  the  tripe  de  roche,  hitherto  our  sole  dependence,  be- 
gan to  be  scarce,  so  that  we  could  only  collect  sufficient  to  make 
half  a  kettleful,  which,  with  the  addition  of  a  partridge  each,  that 
St.  Germain  had  killed,  made  us  a  tolerable  meal ;  during  this 
day  I  felt  very  weak  and  sore  in  the  joints,  particularly  between 
the  shoulders.  At  night  we  encamped  among  a  small  clump  of 
willows. 

On  the  6th  we  set  out  at  an  early  hour,  pursuing  our  route 
over  a  range  of  hills,  at  the  foot  of  one  of  which  we  saw  several 
large  pines,  and  a  great  quantity  of  willows ;  a  sight  that  encou- 
raged us  to  quicken  our  pace,  as  we  were  now  certain  we  could 
not  be  far  from  the  woods.  Indeed  we  were  making  considerable 
progress,  when  Belanger  unfortunately  broke  through  the  ice, 
and  sunk  up  to  the  hips.  The  weather  being  cold,  he  was  in 
danger  of  freezing,  hut  some  brushwood  on  the  borders  of  the 
lake  enabled  us  to  make  a  Hre  to  dry  him.  At  the  same  time 
we  took  the  opportunity  of  refreshing  ourselves  with  a  kettle  of 
swamp  tea. 

My  increasing  debility  had  for  some  time  obliged  me  to  use  a 
stick  for  the  porpose  of  extending  my  arms;  the  pain  in  my  shoul- 
ders being  so  acute,  that  I  could  not  bear  them  to  remain  in  the 
usual  position  for  two  minutes  together.  We  halted  at  five  among 
some  small  brushwood,  and  made  a  sorry  meal  of  an  old  pair  of 
leather  trowsers,  and  some  swamp  tea. 

The  night  was  cold  with  a  hard  frost,  and  though  two  persons 
slept  together,  yet  we  could  not  by  any  means  keep  ourselves 
warm,  but  remained  trembling  the  whole  time.  The  following 
morning  we  crossed  several  lakes,  occasionally  seeing  the  recent 


424 


A    JOUKNEY    TO    TH£    SHORES 


mm. 


tracks  of  deer,  and  at  noon  we  fell  upon  Marten  Lake ;  and  ii 
happened  to  be  the  exact  spot  where  we  had  been  the  last  year 
ivith  the  canoes,  and  though  I  immediately  recognized  the  place, 
the  men  would  not  believe  it  to  be  the  same ;  at  length,  by  point- 
ing out  several  marks,  and  relating  circumstances  connected  with 
them,  they  recovered  their  memory,  and  a  simultaneous  expression 
of  "Mon  Dieu,  nous  sommes  sauv  s,"  broke  out  from  the  whole. 
Contrary  to  our  expectations,  the  In  kc  was  frozen  sufficiently  to 
bear  us,  so  that  we  were  excused  from  making  the  tours  of  the 
clifierent  bays.  This  circumstance  seemed  to  add  fresh  vigour 
to  us,  we  walked  as  fast  as  the  extreme  smoothness  of  the  ice 
would  permit,  intending  to  reach  the  Slave  Rock  that  night ;  but 
an  unforeseen  and  almost  fatal  accident  prevented  the  prosecution 
of  our  plan  :  Belanger  (who  seemed  the  victim  of  misfortune) 
again  broke  through  the  ice,  in  a  deep  part  near  the  head  of  the 
rapid,  but  was  timely  saved,  by  fastening  our  worsted  belts  toge- 
ther, and  pulling  him  out.  By  urging  him  forwards  as  quick 
as  his  icy  garments  would  admit  of,  to  prevent  his  freezing,  we 
reached  a  few  pines,  and  kindled  a  fire ;  but  it  was  late  before 
he  even  felt  warm,  though  he  was  so  near  the  flame  as  to  burn 
his  hair  twice  ;  and  to  add  to  our  distress,  three  wolves  crossed 
the  lake  close  to  us. 

The  night  of  the  7th  was  extremely  stormy,  and  about  ten  the 
following  morning,  on  attempting  to  go  on,  we  found  it  totally 
impossible,  being  too  feeble  to  oppose  the  wind  and  drift,  which 
frequently  blew  us  over,  and  on  attempting  to  cross  a  small  lake 
that  lay  in  our  way,  drove  us  faster  backwards  than  under  all  ad- 
vantages we  could  get  forwards ;  therefore  we  encamped  under 
the  shelter  of  a  small  clump  of  pines,  secure  from  the  south-west 
storm  that  was  raging  around  us.  In  the  evening,  from  there 
being  no  tripe  de  roche,  we  were  compelled  to  satisfy,  or  rather 
allay,  the  cravings  of  hunger,  by  eating  a  gun  cover  and  a  pair 
of  old  shoes;  at  this  time  I  had  scarcely  strength  to  get  on  my 
legs. 

The  wind  did  not  in  the  least  abate  during  the  night,  but  in  the 
morning  of  the  9th  it  changed  to  north-east,  and  became  moderate. 
We  took  advantage  of  this  circumstance,  and  rising  with  great 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


42  f» 


;  and  il 
last  year 
\\e  place, 
by  point- 
;teil  with 
xpressioti 
he  whole, 
ciently  to 
lis  of  the 
sh  vigour 
jf  the  ice 
light ;  but 
roseculion 
fiisfortune) 
ead  01  the 
belts  toge- 
s  as  quick 
!3ezing,  we 
late  before 
as  to  burn 
vres  crossed 

out  ten  the 
d  it  totally 
rift,  which 
small  lake 
ider  all  ad- 
iped  under 
south-west 
from  there 
or  rather 
and  a  pair 
get  on  my 

but  in  the 
moderate, 
ath  great 


difHculty,  set  out,  though  had  it  not  been  for  the  hope  of  reach- 
ing the  house,  I  am  certain,  from  the  excessive  faintness  which 
almost  overpowered  mc,  that  I  must  have  remained  where  I  was. 
We  passed  the  Slave  Rock,  and  making  frequent  halts,  arrived 
within  a  short  distance  of  Fort  Enterprize;  but  as  we  perceived 
neither  any  marks  of  Indians,  nor  even  of  animals,  the  men  began 
absolutely  to  despair :  on  a  nearer  app>  oach,  however,  the  tracks 
of  largo  herds  of  deer,  which  had  only  passed  a  few  hours,  tend- 
ed a  little  to  revive  their  spirits,  and  shortly  after  we  crossed  thc 
ruinous  threshold  of  the  long-sought-for  spot ;  but  what  was  out 
surprise,  what  our  sensations,  at  beholding  every  thing  in  the  most 
desolate  and  neglected  state ;  the  doors  and  windows  of  that  room 
in  which  we  expected  to  find  provision,  had  been  thrown  down, 
and  carelessly  left  so ;  and  the  wild  animals  of  the  woods  had  re- 
sorted there,  as  to  a  place  of  shelter  and  retreat.     Mr.  Wentzel 
had  taken  away  the  trunks  and  papers,  but  had  left  no  note  to 
guide  us  to  the  Indians.     This  was  to  us  the  most  grievous  dis- 
appointment :  without  the  assistance  of  the  Indians,  bereft  of 
every  resource,  we  felt  ourselves  reduced  to  the  most  miserable 
state,  which  was  rendered  still  worse,  from  the  recollection  that 
ar  friends  in  the  rear  were  as  miserable  as  ourselves.     For  the 
moment,  however,  hunger  prevailed,  and  each  began  to  gnaw  the 
scraps  of  putrid  and  frozen  meat  that  were  laying  about,  without 
waiting  to  prepare  them.     A  fire,  however,  was  made,  and  the 
neck  and  bones  of  a  deer,  found  lying  in  the  house,  were  boiled 
and  devoured. 

I  determined  to  remain  a  day  here  to  repose  ourselves,  and  then 
to  go  in  search  of  the  Indians,  and  in  the  event  of  missing  them 
to  proceed  to  the  first  trading  establishment,  which  was  distant 
about  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles,  and  from  thence  to  send 
succour  to  my  companions.  This  indeed  I  should  have  done 
immediately,  as  the  most  certain  manner  of  executing  my  pur- 
pose, had  there  been  any  probability  of  the  river  and  lakes  being 
frozen  to  the  southward,  or  had  we  possessed  sufficient  strength 
to  have  clambered  over  the  rocks  and  mountains  which  impeded 
the  direct  way ;  but  as  we  were  aware  of  our  inability  to  do  so, 
I  listened  to  St.  Germain's  proposal,  which  was,  to  follow  the 


■m 


430 


A    .TOURNKY    TO    THE    SHORES 


deer  into  the  woods,  (so  long  as  they  did  not  lead  us  out  of  our 
route  to  the  Indians,)  and  if  possible  to  collect  sufficient  food  to 
carry  us  to  Fort  Providence.  We  now  set  about  making  mittens 
and  snow-shoes,  whilst  Belanger  searched  under  the  snow,  and 
collected  a.  mass  of  old  bones,  which  when  burned  and  used  with 
a  little  salt,  we  found  palatable  enough,  and  made  a  tolerable  meal. 
At  night  St.  Germain  returned,  having  seen  plenty  of  tracks,  but 
no  animals;  the  day  was  cloudy,  with  fresh  breezes,  and  the  river 
was  frozen  at  the  borders. 

On  the  11th  we  prepared  for  oUr  journey,  having  fii-st  collected 
a  few  old  skins  of  deer,  to  serve  us  as  food,  and  written  a  note  to 
be  left  for  our  commander,  to  apprize  him  of  our  intentions.  We 
pursued  the  course  of  the  river  to  the  lower  lake,  when  St.  Ger- 
main fell  in,  which  obliged  us  to  encamp  directly  to  prevent 
his  being  frozen  ;  indeed  we  were  all  glad  of  stopping,  for  in  our 
meagre  and  reduced  state  it  was  impossible  to  resist  the  weather, 
which  at  any  other  time  would  have  been  thought  fine;  my  toes 
were  frozen,  and  although  wrapped  in  a  blanket  I  could  not  keep 
my  hands  warm. 

The  12th  was  excessively  cold  with  fresh  breezes.  Our  meal  al 
night  consisted  of  scraps  of  old  deer  skins  and  swamp  tea,  and 
the  men  complained  greatly  of  their  increasing  debility.  The  fol- 
lowing morning  1  sent  St.  Germain  to  hunt,  intending  to  go  some 
distance  down  the  lake,  but  the  weather  becoming  exceedingly 
thick  with  snow  storms,  we  wer  prevented  from  moving.  He 
returned  without  success,  not  having  seeii  any  animals.  We  had 
nothing  to  eat. 

In  the  morning  of  the  14th  the  part  of  the  lake  before  us  was 
quite  frozen.  The*'e  was  so  much  uncertainty  in  St.  Germain's 
answei's  as  to  the  chance  of  any  Indians  being  in  the  direction  \vt 
were  then  going,  (although  he  had  previously  said  that  the  leader 
had  told  him  he  should  be  there,)  and  he  gave  me  so  much  dis 
satisfaction  in  his  hunting  excursions,  that  I  was  induced  to  send 
a  note  to  the  Commander,  whom  I  supposed  to  be  by  this  time  at 
Fort  Enterprize,  to  inform  him  of  our  situation ;  not  that  I  ima- 
gined for  a  moment  he  could  better  it,  b"  t  that  by  all  returning 
to  the  fort  we  might,  perhaps,  have  better  success  in  hunting ; 


*^m 


9F  THE  POLAR  SEA. 


431 


with  this  view  I  despatched  Belanger,  much  against  his  inclina- 
tion, and  told  him  to  return  as  quick  as  possible  to  a  place  about 
four  miles  further  on,  where  we  intended  to  fish,  and  to  await  his 
arrival.  The  men  were  so  weak  this  day  that  I  could  get  neither 
of  them  to  move  from  the  encampment ;  and  it  was  only  neces- 
sity that  compelled  them  to  cut  wood  for  fuel,  in  performing 
which  operation  Beauparlant's  face  became  so  dreadfully  swelled 
that  he  could  scarcely  see ;  I  myself  lost  my  temper  on  the  most 
trivial  circumstances,  and  was  become  very  peevish ;  the  day  was 
fine  but  cold,  with  a  freezing  north-east  wind.  We  had  nothing 
to  eat. 

October  15. — ^The  night  was  calm  and  clear,  but  it  was  not  be- 
fore two  in  the  afternoon  that  we  set  out ;  and  the  one  was  so 
weak,  and  the  other  so  full  of  complaints,  that  we  did  not  get 
more  than  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  our  last  encampment, 
before  we  were  obliged  to  put  up  ;  but  in  this  distance  we  wero 
fortunate  enough  to  kill  a  partridge,  the  bones  of  which  were  eaten, 
and  the  remainder  reserved  for  baits  to  fish  with.  We  were  for- 
tunate, however,  in  collecting  sufficient  tripe  de  roche  to  make  a 
meal ;  and  I  now  anxiously  awaited  Belanger's  return,  to  know 
what  course  to  take.  I  was  now  so  much  reduced,  that  my  shoul- 
ders were  as  if  tl\ey  would  fall  from  my  body,  my  legs  seemed 
unable  to  support  me,  and  in  the  disposition  which  I  then  found 
myself,  had  it  not  been  for  the  remeiT^brance  of  my  friends  be- 
hind, who  relied  on  me  for  relief,  as  well  as  the  persons  of  whom 
I  had  charge,  I  certainly  should  have  preferred  remaining  where 
I  was,  to  the  miserable  pain  of  attempting  to  move. 

October  16. — We  waited  until  two  in  the  afternoon  for  Belan- 
ger ;  but  not  seeing  any  thing  of  him  on  the  lake,  we  set  out, 
purposing  to  encamp  at  the  Narrows,  the  place  which  was  said  to 
be  so  good  for  fishing,  and  where,  according  to  St.  Germain's  ac- 
count, the  Indians  never  failed  to  catch  plenty  ;  its  distance  at 
most  could  not  be  moj'e  than  two  miles.  We  had  not  proceeded 
far  before  Beauparlant  began  to  complain  of  increasing  weakness. 
This  was  so  usual  with  us  that  no  particular  notice  was  taken  of 
it,  for  in  fact  there  was  little  difference,  all  being  alike  feeble : 
among  other  tilings  he  said  whilst  \vc  were  resting,  that  he  should 


m 


432 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  SHORKS 


vim- 
fit"  ^t^ 


-  .  1  ']' 


4\ 


M..1, 

It 


■'Br 


■  I 


-'I 


% 

lite 


never  get  beyond  the  next  encampment,  for  his  strength  had  quite 
tailed  him.     I  endeavoured  to  encourage  him  by  explaining  the 
mercy  of  the  Supreme  Being,  who  ever  beholds  with  an  eye  of 
pity  those  that  seek  his  aid.     This  passed  as  common  discourse, 
when  he  inquired  where  we  were  to  put  up ;  St.  Germain  point- 
ed to  a  small  clump  of  pines  near  us,  the  only  place  indeed  thai 
offered  for  fuel.    "  Well,"  replied  the  poor  man,  "  take  your  axe 
Mr.  Back,  and  1  will  follow  at  my  leisure,  I  shall  join  you  by  the 
time  the  encampment  is  made."     This  is  a  usual  practice  of  the 
country,  and  St.  Germain  and  myself  went  on  towards  the  spot ; 
it  was  five  o'clock  and  not  very  cold,  but  rather  milder  than  we 
had  experienced  it  for  some  time,  when,  on  leaving  the  ice,  we 
saw  a  number  of  crows  perched  on  the  top  of  some  high  pines 
near  us.    St.  Germain  immediately  said  there  must  be  some  dead 
animal  thereabouts,  and  proceeded  to  search,  when  we  saw  seve- 
ral heads  of  deer  half  buried  in  the  snow  and  ice,  without  eyes 
or  tongues  :  the  previous  severity  of  the  weather  only  having 
obliged  the  wolves  and  other  animals  to  abandon  them.     An  ex- 
pression of  "  Oh   merciful   God !  we  are  saved,"  broke  from  us 
both  ;  and  with  feelings  more  easily  imagined  than  described,  we 
shook  hands,  not  knowing  what  to  say  for  joy.     It  was  twilight, 
and  a  fog  was  rapidly  darkening  the  surface  of  the  lake,  when  St. 
Germain  commenced  making  the  encampment ;  the  task  was  too 
laborious  for  me  to  reiider  him  any  assistance,  and  had  we  not 
thus  providentially  found  provision,  I  feel  convinced  that  the  next 
twenty-four  hours  would  have  terminated  my  existence.     But  this 
good  fortune,  in  some  measure  renovated  me  for  the  moment,  and 
putting  out  my  whole  strength,  I  contrived  to  collect  a  few  heads, 
imd  with  incredible  difficulty  carried  them  singly  about  thirty  paces 
to  the  fire. 

Darkness  stole  on  us  apace,  and  I  became  extremely  anxious 
;ibout  Bcauparlant ;  several  guns  were  fired,  to  each  of  which  he 
answered.  We  then  called  out,  and  again  heard  his  responses 
though  faintly,  when  1  told  St.  Germain  to  go  and  look  for  him, 
js  I  had  not  strength  myself,  being  quite  exhausted.  He  said,  that 
i»e  had  already  placed  a  pine  branch  on  the  ice,  and  he  could  then 
lianlly  find  his  way  back,  but  if  he  went  now  he  should  certainly 


OF  THE  POLAR  SKA. 


433 


be  lost.  In  this  situation  I  could  only  hope  that  as  Bcauparlant 
had  my  blanket,  and  every  thing  requisite  to  light  a  fire,  he  might 
have  encamped  at  a  little  distance  from  us. 

October  17. — ^The  night  was  cold  and  clear,  but  we  could  not 
sleep  at  all,  from  the  pains  of  having  eaten.  We  suffered  the  most 
excruciating  torments,  though  I  in  particular  did  not  eat  a  quarter 
of  what  would  have  satisfied  me;  it  might  have  been  from  using 
a  quantity  of  raw  or  frozen  sinews  of  the  legs  of  deer,  which 
neither  of  us  could  avoid  doing,  so  great  was  our  hunger.  In  the 
morning,  being  much  agitated  for  the  safety  of  Bcauparlant,  I  de- 
sired St.  Germain  to  go  in  search  of  him,  and  lo  return  with  him 
as  quick  as  possible,  when  I  would  have  something  prepared  for 
them  to  eat. 

It  was,  however,  late  when  he  arrived,  with  a  small  bundle 
which  Bcauparlant  was  accustomed  to  carry,  and  with  tears  in  his 
eyes,  told  me  that  he  had  found  our  poor  companion  dead.  Dead  ! 
I  could  not  believe  him.  "  It  is  so,  Sir,"  said  St.  Germain,  "  after 
hallooing  and  calling  his  name  to  no  purpose,  I  went  towards  our 
last  encampment,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  and  found  him 
stretched  upon  his  back  on  a  sand  bank  frozen  to  death,  his  limbs 
all  extended  and  swelled  enormously,  and  as  hard  as  the  ice  that 
was  near  him  ;  his  bundle  was  behind  him,  as  if  it  had  rolled  away 
when  he  fell,  and  the  blanket  which  he  wore  around  his  neck 
and  shoulders  thrown  on  one  side.  Seeing  that  there  was  no  longer 
life  in  him,  I  threw  your  covering  over  him,  and  placed  his  snow 
shoes  on  the  top  of  it." 

I  had  not  even  thought  of  so  serious  an  occurrence  in  our  little 
party,  and  for  a  short  time  was  obliged  to  give  vent  to  my  grief. 
Left  with  one  person  and  both  of  us  weak,  no  appearance  of  Be- 
langcr,  a  likelihood  that  great  calamity  had  taken  place  amongst 
our  other  companions,  and  upwards  of  seventeen  days'  march 
from  the  nearest  Establishment,  and  myself  unable  to  carry  a 
burden,  all  these  things  pressed  heavy  on  me;  and  how  to  get  to 
the  Indians  or  to  the  fort  I  did  not  know;  but  that  I  might  not 
depress  St.  Germain's  spirits,  I  suppressed  the  feelings  which 
these  thoughts  gave  rise  to,  and  made  some  arrangements  for  the 
journey  to  Fort  Providence.     We  continued  very  weak. 

3  1 


m 


# 


434 


A    JOURNEY    TO    THE    SHORES 


U'v 


October  18.— While  we  were  this  day  occupied  in  scraping  to- 
gether the  remains  of  some  deer's  meat,  we  observed  Belangci 
coming  round  a  point  apparently  scarcely  moving.  1  went  to 
meet  him,  and  made  immediate  inquiries  about  my  friends.  Five, 
with  the  Captain,  he  said,  were  at  the  house,  the  rest  were  lett 
near  the  river,  unable  to  proceed ;  but  he  was  too  weak  to  relate 
the  whole.  He  was  conducted  to  the  encampment,  and  paid 
every  attention  to,  and  by  degrees  we  heard  the  remainder  of  hi-. 
tragic  tale,  at  which  the  interpreter  could  not  avoid  crying.  He 
then  gave  me  a  letter  from  my  friend  the  Commander,  which  in- 
deed was  truly  afflicting.  The  simple  story  of  Belanger  I  could 
hear,  but  when  I  read  it  in  another  language,  mingled  with  the 
pious  resignation  of  a  good  man,  I  could  not  sustain  it  any  longer. 
The  poor  man  was  much  affected  at  the  death  of  our  lamented 
companion,  but  his  appetite  prevailed  over  every  other  feeling ; 
and,  had  I  permitted  it,  he  would  have  done  himself  an  injury ; 
for  after  two  hours'  eating,  principally  skin  and  sinews,  he  com 
plained  of  hunger.  The  day  was  cloudy,  with  snow  and  fresh 
breezes  from  the  north-east  by  cast. 

The  last  evening,  as  well  as  this  morning,  the  19th,  I  mention- 
ed my  wishes  to  the  men,  that  we  should  proceed  towards  Rein- 
deer Lake,  but  this  proposal  met  with  a  direct  refusal.  Belanger 
stated  his  inability  to  move,  and  St.  Germain  used  similar  lan- 
guage ;  adding,  for  the  first  time,  that  he  did  not  know  the  route, 
and  that  it  was  of  no  use  to  go  in  the  direction  I  mentioned,  which 
was  the  one  agreed  upon  between  the  Commander  and  myself.  I 
then  insisted  that  we  should  go  by  the  known  route,  and  Join  the 
Commander,  but  they  would  not  hear  of  it ;  they  would  remain 
where  they  were  until  they  had  regained  their  strength ;  they  said 
I  wanted  to  expose  them  again  to  death  {/aire  perir).  In  vain 
did  I  use  every  argument  to  the  contrary,  for  they  were  equally 
heedless  to  all.  Thus  situated,  I  was  compelled  to  remain,  and 
from  this  time  to  the  25th,  we  employed  ourselves  in  looking 
about  for  the  remnants  of  the  deer  and  pieces  of  skin,  which  even 
the  wolves  had  left ;  and  by  pounding  the  bones,  we  were  enabled 
to  make  a  sort  of  soup,  which  strengthened  us  greatly,  though  each 
still  complained  of  weakness.    It  was  not  without  the  greatest 


.a^^ 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


435 


difficulty  that  I  could  restrain  the  men  from  eating  every  scrap 
they  found,  though  they  were  well  aware  of  the  necessity  there 
was  of  being  economical  in  our  present  situation,  and  to  save  what- 
ever they  could  for  our  journey ;  yet  they  could  not  resist  the 
temptation,  and  directly  my  back  was  turned  they  seldom  failed 
to  snatch  at  the  nearest  piece  to  them,  whether  cooked  or  raw  it 
made  no  diflerence. 

We  had  set  fishing-lines,  but  without  any  success  ;  and  we  often 
saw  large  herds  of  deer  crossing  the  lake  at  full  speed,  and  wolves 
pursuing  them. 

The  night  of  the  25th  was  cold,  with  hard  frost.  Early  the 
next  morning  I  sent  the  men  to  cover  the  body  of  our  departed 
companion  Beauparlant  with  the  trunks  and  branches  of  trees, 
which  they  did  ;  and  shortly  after  their  return  I  opened  his  bundle, 
and  found  it  contained  two  papers  of  vermilion,  several  strings  of 
beads,  some  fire-steels,  flints,  awls,  fish-hooks,  rings,  linen,  and 
the  glass  of  an  artificial  horizon.  My  two  men  began  to  recover 
a  little  as  well  as  myself,  though  I  was  by  far  the  weakest  of  the 
three ;  the  soles  of  my  feet  were  cracked  all  over,  and  the  other 
parts  were  as  hard  as  a  horn,  from  constant  walking.  I  again  urged 
the  necessity  of  advancing  to  join  the  Commander's  party,  but 
they  said  they  were  not  yet  sufficiently  strong. 

On  the  27th  we  discovered  the  remains  of  a  deer,  on  which  we 
feasted.  The  night  was  unusually  cold,  and  ice  formed  in  a  pint- 
pot  within  two  feet  of  a  fire.  The  coruscations  of  the  Aurora 
were  beautifully  brilliant ;  they  served  to  shew  us  eight  wolves, 
which  we  had  some  trouble  to  frighten  away  from  our  collection 
of  deer's  bones  ;  and,  with  their  howling,  and  tht^^constant  crack- 
ing  of  the  ice,  we  did  not  get  much  rest. 

Having  collected  with  great  care,  and  by  self-denial,  two  small 
packets  of  dried  meat  or  sinews,  sufficient  (for  men  who  knew 
svhat  it  was  to  fast)  to  last  for  eight  days,  at  the  rate  of  one  indif- 
ferent meal  per  day,  we  prepared  to  set  out  on  the  30th.  I  cal- 
culated that  we  should  be  about  fourteen  days  in  reaching  Fort 
Providence  ;  and,  allowing  that  we  neither  killed  deer  nor  found 
Indians,  we  could  but  be  unprovided  with  food  six  days,  and  this 
we  heeded  not  whilst  the  prospect  of  obtaining  full  relief  was  be« 


if" 


436 


A   JOURNEY  TO  THE   SHORES 


'  -11 


fore  us.  Accordingly  we  set  out  against  a  keen  north*east  wind, 
in  order  to  gain  the  known  route  to  Fort  Providence.  We  saw  a 
number  of  wolves  and  some  crows  on  the  middle  of  the  lake,  and 
supposing  such  an  assembly  was  not  met  idly,  we  made  for  them, 
and  came  in  for  a  share  of  a  deer,  which  they  had  killed  a  short 
time  before,  and  thus  added  a  couple  of  meals  to  our  stock.  By 
four  P.M.  we  gained  the  head  of  the  lake,  or  the  direct  road  to 
Fort  Providence,  and  some  dry  wood  being  at  hand,  we  encamp- 
ed ;  by  accident  it  was  the  same  place  where  the  Commander's 
party  had  slept  on  the  19th,  the  day  on  which  I  supposed  they 
had  left  Fort  Enterprize ;  but  the  encampment  was  so  small,  that 
we  feared  great  mortality  had  taken  place  among  them  ;  and  I  am 
sorry  to  say  the  stubborn  resolution  of  my  men,  not  to  go  to  the 
house,  prevented  me  from  determining  this  most  anxious  point, 
so  that  I  now  almost  dreaded  passing  their  encampments,  lest  I 
should  see  some  of  our  unfortunate  friends  dead  at  each  spot.  Our 
Are  was  hardly  kindled,  when  a  fine  herd  of  deer  passed  close  to 
us.  St.  Germain  pursued  them  a  short  distance,  but  with  his  usual 
want  of  success,  so  that  we  made  a  meal  off  the  muscles  and  sinews 
we  had  dried,  though  they  were  so  tough  that  we  could  scarcely 
cut  them.  My  hands  were  benumbed  throughout  the  march,  and 
we  were  all  stiff  and  fatigued.  The  marching  of  two  days  weak- 
ened us  all  very  much,  and  the  more  so  on  account  of  our  exertion 
to  follow  the  tracks  of  our  Commander's  party  ;  but  we  lost 
them,  and  concluded  that  they  were  not  before  us.  Though  the 
weather  was  not  cold,  I  was  frozen  in  the  face,  and  was  so  reduced 
and  affected  by  these  constant  calamities,  as  well  in  mind  as  in 
body,  that  I  found  much  difficulty  in  proceeding  even  with  the 
advantages  I  had  enjoyed. 

November  3. — We  set  out  before  day,  though,  in  fact,  we  were 
all  better  adapted  to  remain,  from  the  excessive  pain  which  we 
suffered  in  our  joints,  and  proceeded  till  one  P.M.,  without  halt- 
ing, when  Belanger,  who  was  before,  stopped,  and  cried  out, 
"  Footsteps  of  Indians."  It  is  needless  to  mention  the  joy  that 
brightened  the  countenances  of  each  at  this  unlooked-for  sight ; 
we  knew  relief  must  be  at  hand,  and  considered  our  sufferings  at 
an  end.     St.  Germain  inspected  the  tracks,  and  said  that  threu 


OF    THE   POLAR    S£A. 


431 


persons  hud  passed  the  day  before ;  and  that  he  knew  the  re- 
mainder must  be  advancing  to  the  southward,  as  it  was  customary 
with  Indians,  when  they  sent  to  the  trading  establishment  on  the 
first  ice.     On  this  information  we  encamped,  and,  being  too  weak 
to  walk  myself,  I  sent  St.  Germain  to  follow  the  tracks,  with  in- 
structions to  the  Chief  of  the  Indians  to  provide  immediate  assist- 
ance for  such  of  our  friends  who  might  be  at  Fort  Enterprize,  as 
well  as  fur  ourselves,  and  to  lose  no  time  in  returning  to  me.     I 
was  now  so  exhausted,  that  had  we  not  seen  the  tracks  this  day, 
I  had  determined  on  remaining  at  the  next  encampment,  until  the 
men  could  have  sent  aid  from  Fort  Providence.    We  had  finished 
our  small  portion  of  sinews,  and  were  preparing  for  rest,  when 
an  Indian  boy  made  his  appearance  with  meat.     St.  Germain  had 
arrived  before  sunset  at  the  tents  of  Akaitcho,  whom  he  found  at 
the  spot  where  he  had  wintered  last  year ;  but  imagine  my  sur- 
prise, when  he  gave  me  a  note  from  the  Commander,  and  said, 
that  Benoit  and  Augustus,  two  of  the  men,  had  just  joined  them. 
The  note  was  so  confused,  by  the  pencil  marks  being  partly  rubbed 
out,  that  I  couid.  not  decipher  it  clearly  ;  but  it  informed  me,  that 
he  had  attempted  to  come  with  the  two  men,  but  finding  his 
strength  inadequate  to  the  task,  he  relinquished  his  design,  and 
returned  to  Fort  Enterprize,  to  await  relief  with  the  others. 
There  was  another  note  for  the  gentleman  in  charge  of  Fort  Pro- 
vidence, desiring  him  to  send  meat,  blankets,  shoes,  and  tobacco. 
Akaitcho  wished  me  to  join  him  on  the  ensuing  day,  at  a  place 
which  the  boy  knew,  where  they  were  going  to  fish  ;  and  I  was 
the  more  anxious  to  do  so, on  accountof  my  two  companions:  but 
particularly  to  hear  a  full  relation  of  what  liad  happened,  and  of 
the  Commander's  true  situation,  which  I  suspected  to  be  much 
worse  than  he  had  described.  ^ 

In  the  afternoon  I  joined  the  Indians,  and  repeated  to  Akaitcho 
what  St.  Germain  had  told  him  j  he  seemed  much  affected,  and 
said,  he  would  have  sent  relief  directly,  though  I  had  not  beea 
there  ;  indeed,  his  conduct  was  generous  and  humane.  The  next 
morning,  at  an  early  hour,  three  Indians,  with  loaded  sledges  of 
meat,  skins,  shoes,  and  a  blanket,  set  out  for  Fort  Enterprize ; 
one  of  them  was  to  return  directlv  with  an  answor  from  Captain 


438 


A    JOURNEr    TO   THE    SHORES 


Rj;;|^|,i5 

■i 

pi 

^^■aK', 

*;>•„'  '..'t-,^ 

11 

p'l 

H^ 

ff^ir, 

^kM,: 

o'?'-^ 

i| 

K^^ 

GSt'l^ 

Py 

m9|:P 

H^ 

QnP#^ 

m^'' ' 

mI'^EO^^' 

"  1' 

K^l 

}" 

wpyi 

'iW 

Wm> 

"^1        * 

'f% 

t'  ,■;: 

'^i>S 

'!•■; 

* '  W 

Frankliii)  to  whom  I  wrote  ;  but  in  the  event  of  his  death,  he  was 
to  bring  away  all  the  papers  he  could  find  ;  and  he  promised  to 
travel  with  such  haste,  as  to  be  able  to  return  to  us  on  the  fourth 
day.  I  was  now  somewhat  more  easy,  having  done  all  in  my 
power  to  succour  my  unfortunate  companions ;  but  was  very 
anxious  for  the  return  of  the  messenger.  The  Indians  brought  me 
meat  in  small  quantities,  though  sufficient  for  our  daily  consump- 
tion ;  and,  as  we  had  a  little  ammunition,  many  were  paid  on  the 
spot  for  what  they  gave. 

On  the  9th  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  Indian  arrive 
from  Fort  Enterprize.  At  first  he  said  they  were  all  dead,  but 
shortly  after  he  gave  me  a  note,  which  was  from  the  Commander, 
and  then  I  learned  all  the  fatal  particulars  which  had  befallen 
them.  I  now  proposed  that  the  Chief  should  immediately  send 
three  sledges,  loaded  with  meat,  to  Fort  Enterprize,  to  make  a 
cache  of  provision  at  our  present  encampment,  and  also,  that  he 
should  here  await  the  arrival  of  the  Commander.  By  noon,  two 
large  trains,  laden  with  meat,  were  sent  off  for  Fort  Enterprize. 
The  next  day  we  proceeded  on  our  journey,  and  arrived  at  Fort 
Providence  on  the  21st  of  November. 

Conclusion  of  Mr.  Back's  JVarratire. 


1  HAVE  little  now  to  add  to  the  melancholy  detail  into  whici< 
I  felt  it  proper  to  enter ;  but  I  cannot  omit  to  state,  that  the  unre- 
mitting care  and  "attentions  of  our  kind  friends,  Mr.  M*  Vicar  and 
Mr.  M'Auley,  together  with  the  improvement  o\f  our  diet,  mate- 
rially contributed  to  the  restoration  of  our  health ;  so  that,  by  the 
end  of  February,  the  swellings  of  our  limbs,  which  had  returned 
upon  us,  had  entirely  subsided,  and  we  were  able  to  walk  to  any 
part  of  the  island.  Our  appetites  gradually  moderated,  and  we 
nearly  regained  our  ordinary  state  of  body  before  the  spring. 
Hepburn  alone  suffered  from  a  severe  attack  of  rheumatism,  which 


OF    THE    POLAR    SEA. 


439 


wonfined  him  to  his  bed  for  some  weeks.  The  usual  symptoms 
of  spring  having  appeared,  on  the  25th  of  May  we  prepared  to 
embark  for  Fort  Chipewyan.  Fortunately,  on  the  following 
morning,  a  canoe  arrived  from  that  place  with  the  whole  of  the 
stores  which  we  required  for  the  payment  of  Akaitcho  and  the 
hunters.  It  was  extremely  gratifying  to  us  to  be  thus  enabled, 
previous  to  our  departure,  to  make  arrangements  respecting  the 
payment  of  our  late  Indian  companions ;  and  the  more  so,  as  we 
had  recently  discovered  that  Akaitcho,  and  the  whole  of  the  tribe, 
in  consequence  of  the  death  of  the  leader's  mother,  and  the  wife 
of  our  old  guide  Keskarrah,  had  broken  and  destroyed  every  use- 
ful article  belonging  to  them,  and  that  they  were  in  the  greatest 
distress.  It  was  an  additional  pleasure  to  find  our  stock  of  am- 
munition was  more  than  sufficient  to  pay  them  what  was  due,  and 
that  we  could  make  a  considerable  present  of  this  most  essential 
article  to  every  individual  that  had  been  attached  to  the  Expedi- 
tion. 

We  quitted  Moose-deer  Island  at  five  P.M.,  on  the  26th,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  M'Vicar  and  Mr.  M*Auley,  and  nearly  all  the 
voyagers  at  the  establishment,  having  resided  there  about  five 
months,  not  a  day  of  which  had  passed  without  our  having  cause 
of  gratitude,  for  the  kind  and  unvaried  attentions  of  Mr.  M'Vicar 
and  Mr.  M'Auley.  These  gentlemen  accompanied  us  as  far  as 
Fort  Chipewyan,  where  we  arrived  on  the  2d  of  June  ;  here  we 
met  Mr.  Wentzel,  and  the  four  men,  who  had  been  sent  with  him 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Copper-Mine  River ;  and  I  think  it  due  to 
that  gentleman,  to  give  his  own  explanation  of  the  unfortunate  cir- 
cumstances which  prevented  him  from  fulfilling  my  last  instruc- 
tions, respecting  the  provisions  to  have  been  left  for  us  at  Fort 
Enterprize.* 

*  "After  you  sent  me  back  from  the  mouth  of  the  Copper-Mine  River,  and 
1  had  overtaken  the  Leader,  Guides,  and  Hunters,  on  the  fifth  day,  leaving- 
the  sea-coast,  as  well  as  on  our  journey  up  the  River,  they  always  expressed 
the  same  desire  of  fulfilling  their  promises,  although  somewhat  dissatisfied  at 
being  exposed  to  privation  while  on  our  return,  from  a  scarcity  of  animals; 
for,  as  I  have  already  stated  in  my  first  communication  from  Moose-Deer 
Island,  we  had  been  eleven  days  with  no  other  food  but  tripe  de  roche.  In  the 
course  of  this  time  an  Indian,  with  his  wife  and  child,  who  were  travelling  in 


■# 


440 


A  .lOURNEY  TO  THE   SHORES 


In  u  subsequent  conversation  he  stated  to  mc,  that  the  two  In- 
dians, who  were  actually  with  him  at  Fort  Enterprize,  whilst  he 
remained  there  altering  his  canoe,  were  prevented  from  hunting, 
one  by  an  accidental  lameness,  the  other  by  the  fear  of  meeting 
alone  some  of  the  Dos-Rib  Indians. 


i  m. 


IP.' 


I'm 


d 


R 


company  with  us,  were  left  in  the  rear,  and  are  since  supposed  to  have  pe- 
rished through  want,  as  no  intelligence  had  been  received  of  tiiem  at  Port 
Providence  in  December  last.  On  the  seventh  day  after  1  had  joined  the 
Leader,  &c.  Sec,  and  journeying  on  together,  all  the  Indians,  excepting  Petit 
Pied  and  Bald-Uead,  left  me  to  seek  their  families,  and  crossed  Point  Lake 
at  the  Crow's  Nest,  where  Humpy  had  promised  to  meet  his  brother  Elcch- 
cho*  with  the  families,  but  did  not  fulfil,  nor  did  any  of  my  party  of  Indians 
know  where  to  find  tiiem ;  for  we  hud  frequently  made  fires  to  apprize  them 
of  our  approach,  yet  none  appeared  in  return  us  answers.  Tins  disappoini 
ment,  as  might  be  expected,  served  to  increase  the  ill-humour  of  the  Lcader 
and  party,  the  brooding  of  which  (agreeably  to  Indian  custom)  was  liberally 
discharged  on  me,  in  bitter  reproach  for  having  led  them  from  their  families, 
and  exposed  them  to  dangers  and  hardsliips,  wliich  but  for  nty  influence,  tliey 
said,  they  might  have  spared  themselvcH  Nevertheless,  they  still  continued 
to  profess  the  sincerest  desire  of  meeting  our  wishes  in  making  caches  of 
provisions,  and  remaining  until  a  late  season  on  the  road  that  leads  frun>  Fort 
Enterprize  to  Fort  Providence,  through  which  the  Expedition-men  had  tra- 
velled so  often  the  year  before — remarking,  however,  at  iht-  sjimt'  time,  tl»at 
they  had  not  the  least  hopes  of  ever  seeing  one  person  rft'jrn  ixoa,  the  Expe- 
dition. These  alarming  fears  I  never  could  persuade  thorn  to  u;;.miss  from 
their  minds;  they  always  sneered  at  what  they  called  *iry  credulity.'  -Mf,' 
said  the  Gros  Fied,f  'the  Great  Chief  (meaning  Captain  Franklin,)  or  any  of 
his  party,  should  pass  at  my  tents,  he  or  they  shall  be  welcome  to  all  my  pro- 
visions, or  any  thing  else  that  I  may  have.'  And  I  am  sincerely  happy  to  un- 
derstand, by  your  communication,  that  in  this  he  had  kept  his  word — in  send- 
ing you  with  such  promptitude  and  liberality  the  assistance  your  truly  dreadful 
situation  required.  But  the  party  of  Indians,  on  whom  1  had  placed  the  ut- 
most confidence  and  dependance,  was  Humpy  and  the  White  Capot  Guide, 
with  their  sons,  and  several  of  the  discharged  hunters  from  the  Expedition. 
This  party  was  well-disposed,  and  readily  promised  to  collect  provisions  for 
the  possible  return  of  the  Expedition,  provided  they  could  get  a  supply  of 
ammunition  from  Fort  Providence  ;  for  when  I  came  up  with  them  they  were 
actually  starving,  and  converHng  old  axes  into  ball,  having  no  other  substitute 
— this  was  unlucky.  Yet  they  were  well  inclined,  and  I  expected  to  find 
means  at  Fort  Providence  to  send  them  a  supply,  in  which  I  was,  however, 
disappointed,  for  I  found  that  establishment  quite  destitute  of  necessaries  -, 


•  Akaitcho  the  Leader, 


\  Also  Akaitcho, 


OI    HIE   POI.AK  SI. A. 


4'!» 


Wc  were  here  rurnislicd  with  a  canoe  by  Mr.  Smith,  ami  ii 
bowman,  to  act  as  our  j!;nidc  ;  antl  having  Icll  Fort  Chi|)e\vyan 
on  the  Tith,  we  arrived,  on  the  1th  of  .luly,  at  Norway  House. 
Finding  at  this  place,  that  canoes  were  about  to  go  (h)wn  to 
Montreal,  I  gave  all  our  ('anadian  voyagers  their  discharges,  ami 
sent  them  by  those  vessels,  furnishing  them  with  orders  on  the 
Agent  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  for  the  amount  of  their 
wages.  We  carried  Augustus  down  to  York  Factory,  where  wc 
arrived  on  the  14th  of  July,  and  were  rcceiveil  with  every  mark 
of  attention  and  kindness  by  Mr.  Simpson,  the  (Jovernor,  Mr. 
M'Tavish,  and,  indeed,  by  all  the  oflicers  of  the  United  Com- 
panies. And  thus  terminated  our  long,  fatiguing,  and  disastrous 
travels  in  North  America,  having  journeyed  by  water  and  by  land 
(including  our  navigation  of  the  Polar  Sea,)  five  thousand  five 
hundred  and  fifty  miles. 

and  tlien,  sliortly  uf'terl  liadlcft  ihem,  tliey  liadthc  mistbrtiiiic  of  losing  three 
of  their  hunters,  who  were  drowned  in  Marten  Luke  :  this  accident  was,  of  all 
others,  the  most  nnkl  that  could  have  hu|>pcned — a  truth  which  no  one,  who 
has  the  least  knowledge  of  the  Indian  character,  will  deny  ;  and  as  they  wero 
nearly  connected  by  relationsiiip  to  the  I»eader,  Humpy,  and  White  Capol 
Guide,  the  three  leading  men  of  this  part  of  the  Copper  Indian  Trilie,  it  had 
the  effect  of  unhinging  (if  I  may  use  the  expression)  tiie  minds  of  all  these 
families,  and  finally  destroying  all  the  fond  hopes  I  hadsosanguinely  conceiv 
ed  of  their  assisting  the  Expedition,  should  it  come  hack  by  the  Annadessi'; 
River,  of  which  they  were  not  certain. 

"  As   to  my  not  leaving  a  letter  at  Fort  Knterprize,  it  was  because,  by 
some  mischance,  you  had  forgot  to  give  me  |)aper  when  wc  parted.* 

"  1  however  wrote  this  news  on  a  plank,  in  pencil,  and  placed  it  in  the  top  of 
your  former  bedstead,  where  I  left  it.  Since  it  has  not  been  found  there, 
some  Indians  must  have  gone  to  tl>e  house  after  my  departure,  and  destroyed 
it.  These  details.  Sir,  I  have  been  induced  to  enter  into  (rather  unexpect- 
edly) in  justification  of  myself,  and  hope  it  will  be  satisfactory." 

*  /  certainly  offevedjyfr .  Wentzel  some  paper  when  he  t/nittcil  u.i,  but  he  (lecliii- 
''(I  it,  hating  then  a  note-book  ,-  and  JMr.  Back  gave  him  a  pencil. 


END  OF  THE  NARRATIVE 


3K 


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'* 


ii  .-i 

1 

^    '■ 

i 

i 

> 

1 

'^l 


<*- 


'J?V 


'^^^^ 


'W'*'W"-'^'«8»«wa««(«Bi«[ 


If' 


GEOGNOSTICAL  OBSERVATIONS, 

BY  JOHN  RICHARDSON,  M.D., 

ANV  SURGEON  TO  THE  EXPEDITION. 


In  the  following  paper  I  have  aimed  merely  at  a  very  general 
account  of  the  different  rock  formations  that  presented  them- 
selves on  the  line  of  our  journey.  Tu  have  given  a  satisfactory 
sccount  of  the  structure  of  so  large  an  extent  of  country,  would 
have  required  not  only  a  much  better  acquaintance  with  geognosy 
than  I  can  lay  any  claim  to,  but  that  I  should  have  turned  my  un- 
divif.ed  attention  to  that  object.  Whilst  we  travelled  in  canoes, 
which  includes  the  greatest  part  of  our  jour.iey,  and  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  season  in  which  tlie  ground  was  uncovered,  my  op- 
portunities of  making  collections  in  Natural  History  were  limited 
to  the  short  halts  it  was  necessary  to  make  for  the  needful  refresh- 
ment or  repose  of  the  men — a  further  delay  being  incompatible 
with  the  attainment  of  the  main  object  of  the  Expedition.  The 
•want  of  opportunity  for  observation  it  was  impossible  to  remedy, 
but  I  was  desirous  of  compensating  for  my  own  inexperience  in 
geognosy,  by  making  as  extensive  a  collection  of  specimens  as  cir- 
cumstances would  permit.  Beyond  Fort  Enterprize,  however,  the 
want  of  means  of  transport  prevented  me  from  even  making  an 
attempt  at  collection.  Those  specimens  that  were  obtained  to  the 
southward  of  that  place  have  been  submitted  to  the  ino^>ection  of 
Professor  Jameson,  and  I  feel  happy  in  an  opportunit;-  of  ac- 
knowledging a  small  part  of  my  obligations  to  that  distinguisiied 
mineralogist.  His  zeal  for  the  promotion  of  science  led  him  to 
take  an  early  and  deep  interest  in  oui  preceedings,  and  his  en- 
deavours to  serve  us  have  been  unwearied. 


The  western  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay  between  the  56  and  58 
paralLds  of  latitude  are  flat,  and  the  depth  of  the  sea  decreases 
very  gradually  on  approaching  them.  In  seven  fathoms  of  water 
the  tops  of  the  trees  are  just  visible  from  a  ship's  deck.  Large 
boulder  stones  strew  the  beach,  and  form  alioais,  even  at  the  dis- 
tance of  five  miles  from  the  shore,  which  are  very  hazardous  to 
boats,     Nearlv  in  the  centre  of  this  district,  Ncl'ion's  and  Haves' 


ih 


44G 


APPENDIX. 


S.^    :(' 


r  '■    * 


h^.,    M 


i'' ' 

1 

ii  * 

'        J 

II 


I 


Rivers  pour  their  waters  together  into  the  bay.  The  former  is  a 
mighty  sii(.,;ni,  and  carries  oft"  the  waters  IVom  a  vast  extent  of 
country.  'I'lie  S.-iskairhawan,  its  princ'pai  branch,  rises  by  two 
lieails  in  the  Hot  ky  Mounlains,  one  adjoniing  the  sources  of  the 
Missouri  and  Columbia,*  and  the  other  near  the  heads  of  the  Elk, 
Caledonia,  and  Peace  Rivers.  As  these  rivers  diverging  nearly  at 
right  angles,  ilow  '<nu>  the  four  bounding  seas,  it  is  more  than  pro- 
bable that  the  Sabkatchawan  originates  in  the  loftiest  height  of  land 
in  North  America. 

Red  River,  another  of  the  branches  of  Nelson  River,  has  a  source 
far  inferior  to  that  of  [hr  Saskutchav/an  in  altitude,  but  remarkable 
as  being  in  the  same  height  of  land  from  whence  the  Mississippi! 
and  St.  Lawrence  dctive  their  origin.  The  altitude  of  this  latter 
height  has  been  calculated  by  Mr.  Schoolcraft  at  one  thousand  three 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  above  the  Atlantic.:^ — By  Split  Lake  and 
the  chain  of  lakes  communicating  with  it,  and  by  Beaver  Lake  and 
its  chain  of  waters,  Nelson  River  receives  supplies  from  the  very 
banks  of  the  Missinippi§  or  Churchill  River,  Indeed,  the  Beaver 
Lake  chain  which  lay  in  our  route,  originates  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  latter  stream.  A  consideration  of  these  circumstances 
will  give  a  pretty  correct  notion  of  the  general  declination  of  a 
large  extent  of  country. 

Hayes'  River,  although  it  pours  out  a  considerable  body  of  water, 
traverses  a  district  which  appears  very  small  when  compared  with 
the  one  just  mentioned  It  is  separated  from  Nelson  River  at  its 
mouth  by  a  low  point  of  alluvial  land,  upon  which,  at  the  distance 
of  five  or  six  miles  from  the  sea,  York  Factory  stands.  The  sur- 
rounding country,  and  the  banks  of  the  river  as  far  as  the  junction 
of  the  Shamattawa,  fifty  miles  from  the  sea,  has  a  low  uniform 
swampy  appearance.  Immediately  under  a  thin  stratum  of  half- 
decayed  mosses,  there  is  a  thick  bed  of  tenacious  and  somewhat 
slaty  bluish  clay,  containing  many  boulder  stones.  As  the  stream 
is  continually  encroaching  upon  some  points,  and  depositing  its 
spoils  on  others,  its  banks  are  alternately  steep  and  shelving,  but 
the  bed  of  the  river  is  in  general  from  thirty  to  forty  feet  below 
the  level  of  the  adjoining  ground.  The  soil  nourishes  a  pretty 
thick  forest,  but  the  trees,  consisting  chiefly  of  spruces,  larches, 
and  poplarsjil  are  small  except  in  very  favourable  situations.  Slips 
of  the  banks  are  frequent,  and  the  trees  either  retain  their  erect 
position  or  lie  in  various  directions  athwart  the  stream,  and  seem 
to  thrive  in  both  conditions  until  cut  down  by  the  ice  in  the  spring 

»  Specimens  of  agates  and  calcedonies,  collected  near  the  source  of  the 
CoK;mbia,  l>y  Mr.  M'Kenzie,  one  of  the  chief  factors  of  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, have  been  probably  washed  from  amygdaloidal  rocks. 

f  Meesee  seepi-e,  great  river. 

+  Sclioolcraft's  Narrative  of  (iovevnor  Cass's  Expedition. 

^  Meessee  or  Aleotchee-necpoe,  much  water. 

H  Piiuis  ulba,  nigra  et  microcarpa;  Populus  trepida  et  balsamlfer.^. 


-,?.>f*fc1 


GEOGNOSTICAL    OBSERVATIONS. 


447 


rmer  is  a 
extent  of 
s  by  two 
;es  of  the 
:  the  Elk, 

nearly  at 

than  pro- 
jht  of  land 

ls  a  source 
eniarkable 
isslssippit 
this  latter 
isand  three 
t  Lake  and 
r  Lake  and 
tn  the  very 
the  Beaver 
I  a  hundred 
cumstances 
ination  of  a 

dy  of  water, 
npared  with 
River  at  its 
he  distance 
The  sur- 
Lhe  junction 
ow  uniform 
um  of  half- 
i  somewhat 
the  stream 
positing  its 
elving,  but 
feet  below 
,es  a  pretty 
|es,  larches, 
lions.     Slips 
their  erect 
,  and  seem 
the  spring 

bource  of  the 
In's  Bay  ^•^'"' 


lera 


lloods.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  sub-soil  is  perpetually 
frozen.  This  retains  the  surface  water,  and  converts  the  country 
into  a  swamp  in  which  sphagna  and  other  mosses  grow,  but  owing 
to  the  shortness  of  summer  they  decay  very  slowly,  and  little  peat 
is  formed.  The  surface  is  still  hard  when  the  smaller  plants,  under 
the  powerful  influence  of  an  almost  midsummer  sun,  begin  to 
flower;  and  by  the  middle  of  September,  when  the  neat  has  pene- 
trated the  farthest  into  the  earth,  the  leaves  arc  falling.  In  a  fa- 
vourable summer  the  ground  is  thawed  to  the  depth  of  four  feet, 
but  there  still  remains  a  frozen  bed,  whose  thickness  we  had  not  an 
opportunity  of  acertainmg  by  personal  observation,  although  we 
were  informed  by  the  residents  that  it  exceeds  eleven  feet,  and  that 
underneath  there  is  loose  sand. 

We  did  not  observe  the  ground  permanently  frozen  any  where 
in  the  interior;  and  its  occurrence  at  York  Factory  ought,  perhaps, 
to  be  attributed  to  the  vicinity  of  the  sea.     A  frozen  ocean  can 
contribute  nothing  towards  tempering  the  severity  of  winter,  but 
the  ice  which  hangs  upon  these  shores  generally  to  the  middle  of 
August,  must  have  a  powerful  effect  in  diminishing  the  summer 
heat;  hence  the  warmest  summers  on  the  American  continent,  be- 
tween the  55  and  65  parallels  of  north  latitude,  are  to  be  looked  for 
at  the  greatest  distance  from  the  sea:  accordingly  wc  find  that  ve- 
getation is  much  more  active  even  on  the  elevated  range  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  than  it  is  on   the  same  parallel  on  the  shore  of 
Hudson's  Bay.     The  same  rule  does  not  apply  to  both  sides  of  the 
American  continent,  for,  to  the  westward  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
the  winter,  ameliorated  by  an  open  sea,  is  much  milder  than  to  the 
eastward,  and  this  difference  is  likely  to  be  permanent:  because  the 
current  setting  through  Behring's  Straits,  and  along  the  northern 
shores  of  the  continent,  must  contiime  to  bring  down  annually  large 
bodies  of  ice  to  the  east  coast,  to  be  detained  there  in  the  winding 
passages  of  a  vast  archip'ilago,  and  in  bays  and  inland  seas  for  the 
summer.    It  may  be  proper  to  remark  that  this  accumulation  of  ice 
principally  operates  on  the  temperature  of  summer,  and  has  only  a 
remote  effect  in  increasing  the  cold  of  winter;  but  that  it  is  upon 
the  heat  of  the  former  season,  that  vegetation  entirely  depends   in 
these  northern  climates. 

Returning  after  this  digression  to  Hayes'  River,  we  may  state 
ihat  the  boulders  which  obstruct  its  channels  and  line  its  banks, 
shew  that  there  occur  in  its  rh>er  district  rock^  oi  ihc /irimitivc 
class,  as  red  granite,  hornblende  rock,  gneiss,  and  sienite;  of  the 
iransition  class,  as  grey  wacke ;  and  of  the  nvcondnry  c/ass,  :\s  red 
sandstone,  belonging  most  probably  to  the  new  red  sandstone  for- 
mation, undpr  which  we  include  the  rothliegendc  and  the  variega- 
'ed  sandstone;  and  two  kinds  of  limestone,  one  having  a  bluish- 
;:>rcy  colour,  splintery  fracture,  glimmering  lustre,  and  translucent 
edges;  the  other  rosembling  marl,  and  having  a  yellowish-grey  co- 
■our,  an  earthy  fracture,  and  being  dull  and  opaque. 


44b 


APPENDIX. 


■   V;'    ',™'^-  i    '■■  \  \ 


The  limestones  appear  to  belong  to  the  s  '  ne  or  a  similar  lor 
malion  with  the  vast  l)e(ls,  to  be  hereafter  mentioned  in  our  ac- 
count of  the  Saskatehawan  and  Elk  Rivers,  and  to  have  been 
brought  down  by  the  Shamatta\va,on  whose  banks  it  is  said  lo  form 
high  cliffs.  Indeed  a  low  ridge  of  this  sort  of  linjesione,  aboui 
twenty  miles  wide,  seems  to  run  fronj  the  northward  of  Churchill 
to  Severn  River,  at  the  distance  of  thirty  or  forty  miles  fro^u  the 
sea-shore,  and  nearly  parallel  to  it.* 

The  principal  branch  of  Hayes'  River  above  the  Shamattawa  is 
named  Steel  River.  The  banks  of  this  stream  have  the  same  gen- 
eral character  with  those  of  Hayes'  River,  but  their  elevation  is 
greater  although  they  shelve  more  gradually  down  to  the  water. 
Steel  River  is  formed  of  two  branches  of  nearly  equal  size,  named 
Fox  and  Hill  Rivers.  The  former  flows  from  the  N.W.,  and  it  is 
most  probable  that  fragments  of  grey  wacke,  which  we  observed 
on  the  banks  of  Hayes'  River,  came  from  that  source,  as  we  found 
no  traces  of  the  transition  series  on  Hill  River,  the  other  branch  and 
the  one  through  which  our  route  lay.  4 

In  the  lower  parts  of  Hill  River  the  banks  are  composed  nearly 
of  the  same  materials  as  those  in  Hayes'  and  Steel  Rivers,  but  they 
rise  more  precipitously  from  the  very  narrow  channel  of  the  rivei 
to  an  elevation  of  nearly  two  hundred  feet.  Their  outline,  too,  is 
more  varied,  being  broken  into  conical  eminences  by  numerous 
ravines  which  open  into  the  river  at  right  angles.  Many  steep 
cliffs,  sections  of  these  eminences,  and  of  course  of  a  conical  form, 
have  their  bases  washed  by  the  streams;  one  of  the  most  remarka- 
ble is  named  the  Sugar  Loaf.  The  banks  being  exactly  similar  in  form 
and  constituent  parts  to  those  which  occur  on  Lake  Winipeg  and 
the  Saskatchawan  on  the  confines  of  the  limestone  formation  there, 
I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  this  part  of  Hill  River  cuts  the  western 
boundary  of  the  other  limestone  district,  which  has  been  spoken  of 
as  running  parallel  to  the  coast.  We  did  not  observe,  however, 
any  of  the  solid  strata  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  although  the  clay 
on  the  banks  contained  many  imbedded  fragments  of  the  stone,  as 
well  as  miich  calcareous  matter  intimately  blended  with  it. 

About  a  mile  below  the  Rock  Portage,  or  ninety  miles  from  the 
sea,  (including  the  windings  of  the  river  course)  rocks  in  situ  first 
occur.  They  consist  of  gneiss,  and  rise  in  the  channel  of  the  river 
from  under  the  lofty  clay  banks  which  still  continue. 

The  gneiss  formation  appears  to  extend  from  this  place  to  Lake 
Winipeg,  and  to  contain  subordinate  beds  and  veins  of  granite, 
beds  of  hornblende,  rock,  and  mica  slate,  which  we  shall  enumerate 
in  the  order  in  which  they  occurred  on  our  route.  The  general  di- 
rection of  the  strata  appears  to  be  from  NIL  to  SW,  but  our  oppor- 
tunities of  observation  were  too  limited  to  decide  this  fact. 

At  the  Rock  Portage  a  ridge  of  gneiss,  crossing  the  stream  ob 

'  See  Mr.  Auld,  Transactions  of  the  (ieoiogical  Society,  vol.  v.  p.  2. 


a 


%*- 


m^ 


timm 


GEOCiNOSTlLAL    OBSERVATIONS. 


44M 


milar  ioi 
in  our  ac- 
lave  been 
id  ^o  Ibrm 
one,  uboiiv 
Churchill 
s  trcHUi  ihe 


>osed  ncuvly 
crs,  but  they 
of  the  rivci 
itUne,  too,  is 
y  numerous 
Many  steep 
conical  form, 
ost  remarka- 
milar  in  form 
-Vinipeg  and 
nation  there, 
the  western 
en  spoken  of 
e,  however, 
gh  the  clay 
ihe  stone,  as 

h  it. 

iles  from  the 

s  in  situ  first 
of  the  river 


ol.  V.  p.  2. 


liqucly,  forms  a  chain  of  small  islands,  and  prodiiccs  several  cas- 
cades. The  gneiss  at  this  spot  is  intersected  in  every  direction  by 
veins  of  quartz,  and  there  is  but  little  mica  disseminated  through 
it,  the  greatest  part  of  this  mineral  being  confined  to  kidneys,  which 
are  insensibly  blended  with  the  enclosing  rock.  The  great  nunjbcr 
of  the  veins,  their  intricate  ramifications,  and  reunions,  viewed  in 
conjunction  with  the  dificrent  portions  of  the  i-ock  very  dissimilar 
to  each  other,  but  uniting  together  by  imperceptible  gradations, 
seem  to  mark  that  the  whole  of  this  bed  of  rock  is  of  cotemporane- 
ous  origin.  Hand  specimens  from  one  part  of  the  rock  might  be 
denominated  quartz  rock,  from  another,  mica  slate. 

After  passing  the  Rock  Portage,  the  clayey  banks  gradually  de 
crease  in  height,  and  in  the  upper  parts  of  the  river  they  entirely 
disappear,  and  the  gneiss  rises  into  small  ridges  on  the  borders  oi 
the  stream,  and  forms  numerous  islands  in  the  small  lakes  into 
which  the  river  expands,  or  raiher  through  which  it  flows.  WhiUit 
the  clay  continues  the  country  is  well  clothed  with  wood,  but 
afterwards,  for  want  of  soil  the  trees  are  in  general  stunted.  The 
bed  of  the  river  is  every  where  uneven,  and  composed  of  strata  of 
rock,  which  are  divided  by  deep  fissures  into  irregular  lozenge- 
formed  masses. 

At  the  point  of  rocks  four  miles  above  the  Rock  Portage,  a  grey 
gneiss  occurs  containing  much  mica,  and  intersected  by  veins  of 
quartz.  And  five  miles  further  on,  there  are  several  detached  coni- 
cal hills;  the  highest  having  an  altitude  of  about  six  hundred  feet, 
is  named  the  Hill,  and  is  the  origin  of  the  appellation  of  the  river 
From  the  summit  of  the  1 1  ill  tliirty  five  lakes  arc  said  to  be  visible  ; 
indeed,  all  the  valleys  stem  to  be  filled  with  water,  the  almost  in- 
sulated summits  of  the  hills  and  ridges  being  along  visible.  We 
had  no  opportunity  of  visiting  these  hills. 

A  few  miles  above  the  Hill,  at  the  Lower  Burntwood  Portage,  a 
vein  of  granite  was  observed  crossing  the  gneiss,  and  a  similar  vein 
occurs  about  one  quarter  of  a  mile  higher  up  the  river.  At  Mor- 
gan's Rocks  the  exposed  bed  of  rock  appears  to  be  granitic  gneiss, 
and  at  the  the  Upper  Burntwood  C  arrying  Place  half  a  mile  farther 
on,  there  is  a  bed  of  hornblende  rock  and  another  of  a  red  granite 
which  is  composed  of  red  felspar,  grey  quartz,  and  very  little  mica. 

At  the  Swampy  Portage  there  is  a  bed  of  red  felspar,  containing 
small  disseminated  grains  of  epidote — and  at  the  Upper  Portage 
hornblende  slate  occurs  alternating  with  grey  gneiss,  .slightly  inter 
mix' ''  with  hornblende,  together  with  beds  of  quartz  rock,  con- 
taining^ precious  garnets.  The  direction  of  the  strata  here  is  from 
east  to  west,  the  dip  about  80°  to  the  northward. 

In  Gound-Watcr  Creek,  two  miles  distant,  the  same  kind  of 
hornblende  slate  is  found,  having  the  same  dip,  and  alternating  with 
red  granite  composed  of  red  felspar,  grey  quartz,  and  dark  green 
mica.  And  at  Bird's  Lake,  and  on  Sail  Island,  near  the  debouchure 
of  S-  'cunpv  Lake,  extensive  portions  of  grey  gneiss  are  exposed 

r,  L 


'^1 


w 


Mu 


450 


Al'l'KNDlX. 


ilif '. 


unaccompanied  by  olher  rocks.  After  crossing  Swampy  Lake,  the 
river  changes  its  name  from  Hill  to  Jack  River.  At  the  Lower 
Portage  in  Jack  River,  a  red  granite  occurs;  and  at  the  Lon^ 
Carrying  Place  a  little  higher  up,  a  granitic  gneiss,  having  dis 
seminated  iron  pyrites,  alternates  with  a  compact  grey  micaceous 
gneiss.  The  strata  of  gneiss  are  much  contorted  at  their  line  ol 
junction  with  the  granite;  but  their  general  line  of  direction  is 
north  and  south,  and  they  apparently  dip  to  the  eastward.  At  the 
Upper  Portage,  the  strata  of  grey  gneiss  have  a  direction  from 
E.S.E.  to  W.N.W.  and  a  'lortherly  dip,  but  t!iey  arc  much  con- 
voluted and  contorted.  They  contain  a  bed  of  primitive  green- 
stone, having  disseminated  iron  pyrites.  This  greenstone  contains 
diallage,  and  is  therefore  passing  into  diallage  rock.  The  rocks  in 
Jack  River  are  low,  and  sparingly  covered  with  soil ;  the  woods  thin, 
and  the  surrounding  country  flat,  and  destitute  even  of  the  mode 
rate  elevations  which  occur  in  Hill  River. 

The  borders  of  Knee  Lake  presented  the  same  appearances  thai 
were  observed  in  Jack  River.  Inonc  place,  which  we  were  inuuccti 
to  examine  from  the  unusual  luxuriance  of  the  trees,  the  soil  was 
very  thin;  but  the  subjacent  rock  consisted  of  primitive  greenstone, 
with  disseminated  iron  pyrites.  This  rock,  situated  about  fifteen 
miles  from  the  lower  end  of  tlie  lake,  forms  a  low  cliff' which  has 
somewhat  of  a  columnar  structure.  Nine  miles  farther,  vertical 
strata  of  mica  slate  rising  a  little  above  the  water,  formed  a  number 
of  smooth  flat  islands.  The  direction  of  its  strata  was  E.N.E.  and 
W.S.W.  The  magnetic  islet  near  the  /cnee  of  the  lake,  referred 
to  in  page  32  of  the  Narrative,  is  composed  of  the  same  rock  high 
ly  impregnated  with  magnetic  iron  ore,  and  having  its  thin  layers 
alternating  with  layers  of  that  mineral.  The  strata  ol  this  islet  arc 
vertical,  and  very  much  undulated  in  direction.  The  gneiss  rose 
on  the  borders  of  the  lake  into  roundish  eminences,  whilst  the  mica 
slate  formed  even  islands  scarcely  appearing  above  the  water.  At 
the  upper  end  of  the  lake  the  gneiss  exposed  is  grey  and  compact 

The  same  rock  was  observed  in  Trout  River  (the  name  whicli 
the  sfeam  now  assumes),  and  half  a  mile  above  the  Lower  Carrying 
Place  ir  was  found  impregnated  with  magnetic  iron  ore.  The  strata 
have  a  direction  from  E.S.E.  to  W.N.W. — the  dip,  if  any,  is  to 
the  north.  At  the  second  portage,  in  Trout  River,  the  bed  of  the 
river  is  formed  of  vertical  mica  slate,  whose  thin  layers  lacerating 
the  boatmen's  feet,  have  obtained  for  it  the  name  of  Knife-edge 
Portage.  At  the  third  portage,  the  ground  is  strewed  with  large 
boulder  ';tones  of  grey  gneiss,  containing  well  crystallized  precious 
garnets.  At  the  Upper  Carrying-Place,  mica  slate  occurs,  and 
half  a  mile  above  it  vertical  strata  of  gneiss  appear,  its  layers  alter- 
nating with  layers  of  magnetic  iron  ore. 

Ar  island,  near  the  centre  of  Holy  Lake,  is  composed  of  chlorite, 
and  mica  slates.  At  the  upper  end  of  Holy  Lake,  the  designation  of 
the  river  is  changed  to  Weepinapannis.  This  stream  flows  through 


MM 


GF.OGNOSTICAL    OBSERVATIONS. 


451 


a  marshy  country,  and  is  divided  by  low  barren  rounded  masses  of 
lOfik  into  a  great  variety  of  channels. 

At  the  Lower  Portage,  in  the  Weepinapannis,  granitic  andhorn- 
l)lendic  gneiss  occur,  the  former  intersected  by  a  vein  of  red  gra- 
nite.— Moore's  Island  is  composed  of  a  bed  of  granite.  Half  a  mile 
above  it,  the  rocks  consisting  of  granitic  gneiss  are  intersected  by 
n  vein  of  red  granite.  The  direction  of  the  strata  here  is  N.E.b.E. 
and  S.VV.b.W.— Near  the  Crooked  Spout,  hornblendic  gneiss  al- 
ternates with  pcrphyriiic  granitic  gneiss,  and  red  granite  passing 
into  grjciss. 

At  the  upper  end  of  the  small  piece  of  water  termed  the  windy 
Lake,  the  stream,  now  very  much  diminished,  obtains  the  name  of 
Rabbit  Ground.  The  rocks  here  resemble  those  in  the  Weepina- 
pannis. 

At  II ill  Gates,  the  stream  runs  through  a  narrow  chasm  in  the 
rocks,  above  ten  miles  long.  The  predominating  rock  is  grey  gneiss, 
TMore  or  less  compact,  and  sometimes  inclining  to  granite,  but  more 
often  to  mica  slate.  Near  the  centre  of  the  chasm,  the  eminences 
separated  by  narrow  valleys,  and  composed  as  it  were  of  rounded 
masses  heaped  one  upon  another,  rise  to  the  height  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet.  The  ])redouinating  stone  here  is  a  granite  inclining 
to  gneiss.  The  stratification  of  the  rocks  that  bound  this  chasm  is 
obscurely  mantleform. 

After  leaving  Hill  Gates  we  passed  through  a  marshy  lake,  and 
arrived  at  the  White  Fall,  where  the  stream,  rushing  through  an- 
other chasm,  forms  a  succession  of  cascades.  The  rocks  at  this 
place,  consisted  of  compact  grey  gneiss  containing  an  extensive  bed 
of  graphic  granite.  Kidneys  of  a  less  compact  gneiss  were  con- 
tained in  the  granite. 

A  shallow  swampy  piece  of  water,  bounded  by  gneiss,  conducted 
us  from  the  White  Fall  to  the  Painted  Stone,  where  the  principal 
iiranch  of  Hill  River  may  be  said  to  originate.  The  portage  at  the 
Painted  Stone  is  made  over  a  low  rock  of  grey  gneiss, much  intersect- 
ed with  veins  of  quartz  and  felspar.  It  is  only  a  few  yards  long,  and 
separates  the  Echemamis,  a  rivulet  tributary  to  the  Nelson,  from 
one  of  the  sources  of  Hayes'  River. 

The  Echemamis  flows,  or  rather  filters,  through  a  swamp  for 
thirty  miles;  when,  having  previously  formed  a  slight  expansion 
termed  Hairy  Lake,  and  assumed  the  name  of  Blackwater  Creek, 
it  terminates  in  Sea  River,  one  of  the  arms  of  the  Nelson.  This 
swampy  district  is  traversed  by  many  round-backed  ridges  of 
gneiss,  having  a  direction  from  east  to  west,  and  rising  to  the 
height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Several  beds  of  hornblende 
slate  are  enclosed  in  the  gneiss.  On  Sea  River,  and  in  Play-Green 
Lake,  the  same  rocks  were  observed.  At  Sea  River  Carrying- 
Place,  a  granitic  gneiss  forms  a  round-backed  low  ridge,  running 
nearly  east  and  west.  It  contains  some  small  beds  of  porphyritic 
icd  granite,  in  whirh  thovf*  arc  included  some  masses  of  mica  slate  ; 


m 


u. 


458 


APPENDIX. 


m 


;;■*--' 


the  slate  pcnetratini:;  and  intimately  mixing  with  the  granite  at  the 
line  of  junction.  In  Play-(irccn  Lake  the  gneiss  forms  many  low 
smooth  round-backed  islands. 

The  primitive  rocks  disappear  under  the  clay,  below  Norway 
Point.  The  north  shore  of  Lake  Winipeg  is  formed  into  a  penin- 
sula by  Play-Green  Lake  and  Limestone  Bay.  It  consists  of  steep 
clay  cliffs,  similar  to  those  which  preceded  the  gneiss  in  Hill  Kiver, 
but  containing  rather  more  calcareous  matter. — When  the  lake  is 
low,  there  is  a  flat  beach  betwixt  it  and  these  clifls  ;  but  in  southerly 
winds  the  waves  wash  their  bases.  The  beach  is  composed  of  a 
fine  calcareous  sand,  and  small  fragments  of  water-worn  limestone. 
The  same  materials  form  a  narrow  bank,  which  running  to  the  S.W. 
for  about  eight  miles,  separates  liimestonc  Bay  from  the  bodj  of  the 
lake.  The  fragments  belong  to  two  kinds  of  limestone  ;  the  one 
yellowish  white  and  dull  with  a  conchoidal  fracture,  and  translucent 
edges;  the  other  bluish  and  yellowish  grey,  dull,  with  an  earthy 
fracture  and  opaque. 

We  did  not  observe  any  rocks  of  the  former  kind  i7i  nitu  in  this 
neighbourhood  ;*  but  cliffs  of  the  latter  appear  on  the  west  side  of 
Limestone  Bay,  and  continue  to  bound  the  lake  as  far  as  the  mouth 
of  the  Saskatcbawan,  and  as  we  have  been  informed,  down  the 
whole  of  its  western  shore. 

This  limestone,  which  extends  over  a  vast  tract  of  country,  pro- 
bably belongs  to  the  great  series  of  limestone  formations  under  the 
green  sand,  and  above  the  new  red  sandstone.  It  may  in  general 
be  characterized  as  compact,  splinty,  yellowish-grey  limestone.  It 
appears  to  contain  a  considerable  portion  of  clay,  as  most  of  the 
varieties  adhere  to  the  tongue  when  newly  broken.  Perhaps  the 
whole  bed  owes  its  origin  to  shells  cemented  together  by  argillace- 
ous matter.  Many  portions  of  it  arc  almost  entirely  composed  of 
bivalve  shells;  and  even  the  most  compact  kinds,  when  long  ex- 
posed to  the  weather  or  to  the  action  of  fire,  shew  traces  of  shells. 
it  yields  readily  to  the  action  of  the  weather,  and  burns  into  a  very 
white  lime,  but  requires  to  be  long  exposed  to  the  heat. 

Its  strata  are  in  general  horizontal;  and  where  large  beds  of  it 
are  exposed,  it  ;?  tiaversed  by  fissures  crossing  each  other  at  right 
angles.  When  washed  by  the  rivers,  too,  it  tumbles  down  in  large 
cubical  fragments,  which  soon  separate  in  the  direction  of  the  strata 
into  thin  layers.  This  is  well  exhibited  at  the  Grand  Ra/iid  nea\ 
the  mouth  of  the  Saskatcbawan,  where  there  is  a  fine  section  of  it, 

It  may  be  proper  here  to  take  a  general  view  of  the  extent  of 
this  formation;  and  in  so  doing,  to  make  a  few  general  remarks 
upon  the  districts  in  which  we  observed  it,  or  through  which  we 
suspect  it  to  extend.  We  obtained  specimens  exactly  similar  to 
those  in  Lake  Winipeg  from  Manito-baw  Lake,  and  were  inform- 
ed that  it  abounds  much  farther  to  the  southward.     In  our  journey 

*  A  similar  rock,  however,  was  found  in  Vine  Island  Lake,  fifleen  mik'S  N 
N.E.  of  Cumberland-House. 


■-Jk. 


:  4,'-#. 


GEOCNOSTICAL    OBSERVATIONS. 


•15H 


up  the  Saskatchawan,  wc  traced  it  to  the  Necpewan,  a  distance  ol 
three  hundred  miles,  where  it  is  succeeded  or  covered  by  calcare- 
ous clayey  cliflFs,  similar  to  those  which  preceded  it  on  our  route. 

From  this  place  to  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  Mountains^  the  rivev 
flows  through  a  plain  of  fine  sand.  Its  bed  is  about  two  hundred 
feet  below  the  plain,  and  it  presents  almost  every  where  a  regular 
gradation  of  three  distinct  banks,  shewing  the  height  of  the  water 
at  former  periods.  The  channel  of  the  river  is  continually  shifting, 
encroaching  on  the  steep  bank  on  one  side,  and  forming  with  its 
alluvia  low  flat  points  on  the  opposite  shore. 

Between  the  Ncepewan  and  Carlton,  the  plains  are  interspersed 
with  clumps  of  wood;  but  above  the  latter  place  the  dry  sandy  soil 
produces  only  a  short  grass,  which  supports  numerous  herds  of 
buffalo.  The  newer  depositions  beneath  the  high  bank  contain 
more  vegetable  matter,  and  are  covered  with  willows,  and  occasion- 
ally with  aspen  trees.  These  plains  are  said  to  extend  to  the  Mis- 
souri, and  to  be  interrupted  by  few  hills.  Two  only  of  moderate 
height,  and  even  outline,  were  observed  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Carlton,  the  limit  of  our  journey  in  this  direction.  The  older 
traders  relate,  that  many  lakes  have  dried  up  on  the  plains  since 
they  first  visited  the  country.  The  hollows  are  annually  partially 
filled  by  the  melting  snow,  but  the  water  filters  away,  or  is  evapo- 
rated early  in  the  summer.  Many  ponds  or  small  lakes,  however, 
still  remain. 

The  traders  report  that  they  have  observed  limestone  in  several  pf 
the  creeks  that  flow  into  the  upper  parts  of  the  Saskatchawan;  and 
it  is  probable  that  the  limestone  fo'-mation  not  only  extends  through 
a  vast  portion  of  the  plains,  but  also  that  it  runs  parallel  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains  as  far  as  M'Kenzie's  River.  Captain  Franklin 
observed  it  on  the  Beaver  River:  it  exists  abundanily  and  almost 
exclusively  on  the  Clear  Water  and  Elk  Rivers;  and  we  found  it 
again  on  the  islands  on  the  south  side  of  Great  Slave  Lake.  Be- 
tween this  limestone  and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  rocks  of  the  coal 
iormation  exist;  beds  of  coal  on  fire  havini;  been  known  to  the 
traders  for  many  years  on  the  upper  part  of  the  Saskatchawan  and 
on  M'Kenzie's  River.  '1  iiese  were  the  only  circumstances  we 
could  gather  with  regard  to  the  western  boundaries  of  this  forma 
tion.  We  touched  more  than  once  on  its  eastern  boundary  in  the 
course  of  our  journey,  but  no  where  had  we  a  good  opportunity  of 
observing  its  geognostical  relation  to  other  rocks.  The  most  singu- 
lar circumstance  attending  it  is  the  entire  exclusion  of  foreign 
beds.  We  never  observed  it  associated  with  any  other  rock,  ex 
cept  perhaps  on  Elk  River,  where  it  appears  in  contact  with  com- 
pact earthy  marl,  and  slaggy  mineral  pitch,  or  bituminous  sand 
stone;  and  on  the  Copper-Mine  River,  where  rolled  fragments  of  a 
similar  stone  were  found  connected  with  layers  of  dark  flinty  slate. 
The  cliff's  on  the  west  side  of  Lake  Wijiipcg  arc  from  twenty  ti. 
thirty  feet  high:  and  at  the  Grand  Rapid  there  i'>   ".  section  uf  >'. 


...  I ' " 


i^, 


I 


hi' 


454 


APl'tNUlX. 


im>.    .■■::• 


.  I 


■■:   ( 


nearly  sixty  feet  deep.     It  is  here  covered  with  a  very  thin  layer  of 
soil,  and  its  strata-dip  to  the  northward  at  an  angle  of  10°. 

About  Cumberland-House,  the  country  is  uniformly  flat  and 
swampy,  but  the  rock  shews  itself  frequently  above  the  surface 
Its  strata  here  are  generally  horizontal,  but  in  on  place  we  observed 
it  dipping  to  northward  at  an  angle  of  40°, 

About  thirty  miles  to  the  southward  of  Cumberland-House  there 
is  a  round-backed  hill  named  Basquiau,  of  considerable  altitude, 
being  visible  at  that  distance.  It  forms  a  long  ridge  with  an  even 
outline,  but  we  had  no  opportunity  of  examining  it  more  nearly, 
'i'here  are  several  salt  springs  at  its  foot,  from  which  a  considcra- 
ble  quantity  of  salt  is  annually  extracted.*  Salt  springs  and  lakes 
also  exist  from  twelve  to  twenty  miles  to  the  northward  of  Carlton 
House,  as  was  ascertained  by  Captain  Franklin  in  his  winter  jour- 
ney; and  I  obtained  a  small  quantity  of  salt  which  the  Indians  pro- 
cure in  that  neighbourhood,  and  use  as  a  purgative.  They  report 
that  in  the  state  of  a  fine  powder,  it  covers  the  shores  of  a  small 
lake  in  the  summer-time  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three  inches. t 

In  our  voyage  in  the  spring  of  1820,  we  traced  the  linnestone  to 
the  north  side  of  Beaver  Lake.     In  Pine  Island  Lake  the  strata 
are  in  general  horizontal.     On  an  island  beyond  the  fishing  filaccj 
fifteen  miles  N.E.  from  Cumberland  House,  the  strata  dipping  east 
10°,  consist  of  yellowish-grey,  very  compact  limestone,  resembling 
hornslone.     Twelve  miles  further  on,  at  the  portage  of  the  Little 
Red  Rock,  near  the  mouth  of  Sturgeon-Weir  River,  a  more  crys- 
talline limestone  is  coloured  reddish-yellow,  by  oxide  of  iron.     It^ 
strata  dip  to  the  eastward  at  a  very  small  angle.     At  the  Rat  Pon 
:ige,  two  miles  higher  up  the  river,  there  is  an  extensive  bed 
yellowish-grcy  and  somewhat  crystalline  limestone,  perfectly  fla' 
and   splitting   readily  into  thin   horizontal    slabs.     A   number  o; 
parallel  fissures  running  N.W.  and  S.E.,  are  crossed  in  differen 
directions  by  minor  cracks.     The  bed  of  Sturgeon-Weir  Ri       is 
every  where  composed  of  limestone.     It  has  a  considerable  descent. 
On  the  cast  and  west  sides  of  Beaver  Lake,  the  ground  is  broken 
by  eminences  from  a  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet  high. 
These  consist  of  a  limestone  similar  to  that  which  occurs  at  the 
Rat  Portage,  sometimes  having  a  yellowish-grey  colour,  but  more 
generally  coloured  deep  red  by  oxide  of  iron.     There  are  many 
mural  precipices  amongst  these  small  hills,  and  also  some  deep 
vents  or  caves,  in  which  the  snow  remains  unmelted  the  whole 


■■..."it  i).-v.«: 


•  The  salt  springs,  mentioned  above,  in  all  probability  arise  from  the  upper 
part  of  the  new  red  sandstone. 

f  Dr.  Fife  analyzed  a  small  portion  of  this  salt,  which  was  obtained  from  an 
Indian,  and  found  it  to  be  effloresced  sulphate  of  soda.  See  page  460.  The 
occurrence  of  so  much  sulphate  of  soda  is  an  interesting  and  I'emarkable  fact; 
for  though  it  appears  more  abundantly  in  colder  latitudes  than  in  others,  yet 
Tfiere  are  no  accounts  of  its  having  been  found  in  such  abundance  as  the 
Indians  report  it  to  be  in  the  place  just  mentioned. 


•MM 


■MMHM 


(..LOe.NU.MlCAl.    OBSERVATIONS. 


1^.) 


buninicr.     On  Ihc  cast  side  of  llie  lake,  near  the  site  of  an  olil  fort, 
the  strata  dip  to  the  S.W.  at  an  angle  of  30^. 

About  three  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Ridge  River,  primitive 
hornblende  slate  f(jrnis  a  small  island.  The  firimitive  atrata  which 
we  fell  in  with  here,  and  traced  to  Islc-ala-Crosse  Lake,  seem  to 
be  a  continuation  of  the  range  we  quitted  at  the  south  end  of  Play- 
Green  Lake;  and  neither  at  that  place  nor  here  could  we  discover 
any  rocks  interposed  between  them  and  the  limestone.  About  a 
mile  distant  from  the  above-mentioned  island  of  hornblende  slate, 
cliffs  of  limestone  bound  the  lake.  We  had  no  opportunity  of  ob- 
serving the  limestone  more  nearly  in  contact  with  other  rocks  than 
at  this  place.  The  bounding  line  between  the  two  formations 
seems  to  run  about  W.b.N.  from  Play-Green  Lake  to  the  upper 
part  of  Isle-d-la-Crosse  Lake.  We  crossed  this  boundary  line  on 
entering  the  Ridge  Rive. 

At  the  Ridge  Portage,  two  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  a 
ridge  of  mica  slate  crosses  the  stream.  Its  strata  dip  N.E.  at  an 
angle  of  45°.  From  this  place  up  to  the  junction  of  Hay  River, 
the  mica  slate  in  irregular  ridges  bounds  the  stream.  Above  Hay 
River,  sixteen  miles  from  Beaver  Lake,  the  river  is  wider  and  less 
rapid,  and  is  termed  by  the  Canadian  voyagers.  La  graiide  riviere 
Here  the  mica  slate  is  succeeded  by  gneiss,  which  forms  irregular 
roundish  eminences,  rising  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  water. 
The  gneiss  is  traversed  in  every  direction  by  veins  of  flesh-colour- 
ed felspar,  and  contains  many  kidneys  of  mica  slate.  These  rocks 
are  very  sparingly  covered  with  soil,  and  consequently  support  feu- 
trees.  At  the  Carp  Portage,*  fifteen  miles  N.VV.b.N.  of  the  Ridge 
Portage,  there  occurs  a  light  red-coloured  rock,  composed  of  fel- 
spar intermixed  with  hornblende,  together  with  a  small  quantity  ol 
quartz  of  the  same  colour  with  the  ielspar,  and  having  disseminated 
a  few  grains  of  iron  pyrites.  This  rock  is  inter.sccted  by  veins  of 
felspar,  and  contains  kidnt    -  of  mica  slate. 

At  the  Birch  Discharge,  :  miles  N.X.W.  of  the  Carp  Portage, 
the  same  sock  alternates  with  mica  slai';.  The  boundaries  of  thr 
stream  between  these  portages  consist  '  f  the  rounded  ridges  of 
gneiss  above-mentioned.  At  the  Bivch-point  Portage,  two  miles 
and-a-half  above  the  Birch  Discharge,  the  strata,  consisting  of  grey 
gneiss,  dip  to  the  N.N.E.  a;  an  angle  of  30'^.  The  gneiss  rocks  con- 
tinue with  little  variation  for  eleven  miles,  as  far  as  .'sland  Portage, 
where  the  rock  running  across  the  river,  and  producing  a  fine  cas 
cade,  may  be  termed  thick  mica  slate,  containing  much  quartz. 
The  strata  dip  here  to  the  northward  at  an  angle  of  25°.  Above 
this  portage  there  is  a  small  expansion  of  the  river  termed  Island 
Lake,  beyond  which  another  contraction  and  fall  is  produced  by  the 

•  So  named  frotii  tlie  r, reat  number  of  sucking  Carp  (  Catas  tomus  Hudsonius), 
which  are  observt  .1  endeavouring  to  surmount  the  rapid  ii»  tlie  spawning 
season. 


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33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MSSO 

(716)  S72-4S03 


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APPENDIX. 


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same  rock.  On  the  north  sides  of  Heron  and  Pelican  Lakes,  the 
gneiss  continues  to  form  small  naked  eminences,  but  on  the  b  W. 
side  of  the  latter,  there  are  some  conical  hills,  perhaps  four  hundred 
feet  high,  which  laid  at  a  distance  from  our  route. 

Above  the  Pelican  Lake,  the  rocks  approaching  again,  confine 
the  stream,  and  produce  several  rapids.  The  strata  here  consist 
of  gneiss  approaching  to  mica  slate,  and  contain  beds  of  mica  slate. 
They  are  much  curved  and  distorted,  and  form  bluntly  conical  emi- 
nences, rising  abruptly  from  the  stream.  There  are  several  mu- 
ral precipices  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  At  the  third  portage,  the 
gneiss  dips  to  the  eastward  at  an  angle  of  80°. 

The  shores  of  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  are  rocky,  of  moderate 
elevation,  with  some  small  conical  hills,  and  generally  pretty  well 
wooded.  The  beds  of  mica  slate  arc  rather  more  numerous  than 
in  Pelican  Lake.  Above  four  miles  and  a  half  from  the  Three 
Portages,  above  the  upper  end  of  the  lake,  there  is  a  bed  of  horn- 
blende slate  enclosed  in  the  gneiss. 

A  small  narrow  piece  of  water,  bounded  by  a  continuation  of  the 
same  rocks,  conducted  us  from  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  to  the  Frog 
Portage,  which  forms  the  boundary  betwixt  the  Mississippi  and  the 
waters  falling  into  the  Saskatchawan  or  Nelson  River,  and  is  three 
hundred  and  eighty  paces  long.  The  path  leads  through  a  low 
awampy  wood,  and  over  a  flat  tract  gneiss  rising  only  a  few  feet 
above  the  waters  on  each  side.  The  prevailing  dip  of  the  strata  on 
our  route  between  Beaver  Lake  and  this  place  is  N.£. 

The  Missinippi,  or  English  River,  through  which  our  course 
now  laid,  resembles  a  chain  of  lakes  with  many  arms,  more  than  a 
river.  The  rocks  to  the  eastward  of  the  Otter  Portage  are,  per- 
haps, members  of  the  mica  slate  formation,  but  beyond  that,  they 
belong  undoubtedly  to  the  gneiss  formation.  They  rise  into  crag- 
gy eminences,  scarcely  ever  exceeding  three  hundred  feet  in  height, 
and  form  numerous  groups  of  islands  in  the  lakes  or  skirt  their  ir- 
regular borders.  It  is  only  where  the  water  has  to  force  its  way 
over  a  ridge  of  rocks,  that  it  is  narrowed  into  the  dimensions  of  a 
river,  and  the  contraction  is  always  accompanied  by  a  cascade  or 
rapid. 

An  island  in  Race  Lake,  a  short  way  above  the  Frog  Portage, 
consists  of  hornblende  slate.  It  dips  N.W.  at  an  angle  of  45° — at 
the  Grand  Rapid  eleven  miles  S.b.W.  from  the  Frog  Portage,  the 
■otrata,  consisting  of  mica  slate,  dip  to  the  eastward  at  an  angle  of 
80°,  and  contain  beds  of  hornblende  rock  and  slaty  quartz  rock ;  the 
latter  resting  upon  the  former,  and  containing  many  minute  veins 
and  disseminated  particles  of  calc-spar.  At  the  Barrel  Portage, 
two  miles  farther  to  the  eastward,  the  same  rock  dipping  to  the 
northward  at  80'' ^  contains  precious  garnets.  The  river  here  has 
a  majestic  appearance,  being  upwards  of  a  mile  wide,  and  bounded 
by  rocks  two  hundred  feet  high.     The  current  is  gentle. 

At  the  Island  Portage,  four  miles  to  the  eastward  of  the  last 


GEOGNOSTICAT.    OBSERVATIONS. 


157 


es,  ihc 

andred 

confine 
consist 
a  slate. 
;al  emi- 
:al  mu- 
ige,  the 

loderale 
'ity  well 
>us  than 
c  Three 
of  horn- 

an  of  the 

Lhe  Frog 

i  and  the 

I  is  three 

gh  a  low 
few  feet 
strata  on 

iir  course 
e  than  a 
are,  per- 
hat,  they 
nto  crag- 
Ln  height, 
their  ir- 
e  its  way 
sions  of  a 
ascade  or 

Portage, 
,f  45°— at 
rtage,  the 

angle  of 
rock;  the 
lUte  veins 

Portage, 
ing  to  the 

here  has 

bounded 

If  the  last 


'.ncnlioncd  place,  the  stream  is  barred  across  by  a  ridge  of  red 
fjneiss  containing  much  felspar.     It  dips  N.N.W.  at  an  angle  of 
H0°,  and  encloses  many  kidneys  of  flesh-coloured  felspar.     Eleven 
-and  c  half  miles  to  the  westward,  the  gneiss  contains  hornblende; 
and  half  a  mile  farther  on  it  approaches  to  n^ca  slate,  and  dips  N. 
N.W.  at  an  angle  of  45°.     Beyond  this  place  the  river  expands  a 
little,  and  the  rocky  eminences  have  a  general  round-backed  out- 
line ;  but  on  a  near  approach  they  are  rugged,  and  some  short  coni- 
cal peaks  occur.     Ai  the  Little  Rock  and  Mountain  Portages,  the 
strata  consisting  of  mica  slate  dip  N.W.  ai  an  angle  of  60°;  and  at 
Otter  Portage,  a  light-red  fine-grained  gneiss  dips  to  the  north- 
ward at  an  angle  of  70".     At  the  Great  Devil  Portage,  two  and  a 
half  miles  N.W.b.W.  of  the  Otter  Portage,  compact  gneiss  oc- 
curs dipping  to  the  N.W.  80**,     An  expansion  of  the  river  above 
'his  place,  termed  the  Devil's  Lake,  is  very  beautiful,  containing 
many  rocky  islands,  covered  with  spruce  and  aspen  trees.     Tlie 
strata  of  gneiss  in  this  lake  had  a  direction  from  east  to  west,  and 
were  nearly  vertical.      At  the  Big  Rock  Discharge,  nine  and  a 
half  miles  west  of  the  Devil's  Portage,  the  strata  consist  of  gneiss. 
In  an  island,  a  linle  above  it,  there  is  a  vertical  bed  of  mica  slate ; 
and  a  mile  farther  on,  at  the  Little  Trout  Rock,  there  is  a  bed  of 
granite.     Half  a  mile  above,  at  the  Trout  Portage,  the  strata  of 
gneiss  enclose  a  bed  of  granite;  and  seven  and  a  half  miles  S.W. 
b.W.,  at  the  Osier  Portage,  the  strata  consist  of  gneiss.     Ab«jve 
this  the  river  forms  a  considerable  expansion,  which  is  termed 
Bl^ck  Bear  Island  Lake.     The  islands  in  this  lake  are  very  numer- 
ous, and  consist  mostly  of  round-backed  elevations  of  gneiss  ex- 
tremely barren.     One  steep  conical  island,  near  the  east  end  of  the 
lake,  consists  entirely  of  large  rounded  masses  of  light-red  granite, 
piled  on  each  other  to  the  height  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet.     It 
seemed  as  if  the  softer  parts  of  a  bed  of  granite,  projecting  above 
the  gneiss  strata  here,  had  been  washed  away,  and  left  the  more 
durable  masses  in  their  present  position.     This  island  can  scarcely 
have  been  formed  by  a  collection  of  boulder  stones,  for  it  is  not  easy 
to  conceive  in  what  manner  the  action  of  the  waves  could  have 
piled  stones  up  in  such  a  form,  and  still  less  to  acceunt  for  all  these 
boulders,  consisting  of  a  course-grained  granite,  in  a  countty  com- 
posed of  gneiss  with  many  subordinate  beds.     At  Cardinal's  Rapid, 
at  the  west  end  of  Bear  Island  Lake,  there  is  a  bed  of  mica  sbte ; 
a  short  way  below  this  the  gneiss  rises  abruptly  into  a  rounded 
island  two  hundred  feet  high.     At  the  Portage  de  Canot  Tourn^, 
six  miles  and  a  half  W.N.W.  of  Cardinal's  Rapid,  the  strata  con- 
sisting of  fine  granular  gneiss,  with  much  mica,  dip  to  the  west- 
ward at  an  angle  of  80°;  and  at  the  Pine  Portage,  a  mile  further, 
the  same  rock,  preserving  the  same  dip,  alternates  with  a  grey 
gneiss  containing  much  less  mica. 

Above  this  place  the  country  is  more  flat,  better  clothed  with 
wood,  and  exhibits  much  less  naked  rock ;  the  gneiss  formation 


% 

X:. 


A 


M 


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158 


APPENDIX. 


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V'iSc  j 


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conlinucs.  In  Sand  Fly  and  Sandy  Lakes,  Ihcrc  are  some  njoderatr 
clevaiion%  of  [rnviss;  the  soil  is  .>andy,  and  supports  sonic  groves  of 
ti.e  Pimib  Hanksiana,  which  scidum  grow  in  any  soil.  The  same 
rocks  rose  in  round-hacked  ridges  of  greater  elevation  as  \v«!  went 
to  t.he  northward  in  Knee  Lake.  IJciweeii  Lake  Primeau  and 
l^le•a-la■Crosse  Lakes,  several  beds  of  granite  rise  to  the  height  of 
lif  y  or  sixty  fctt  above  the  gneiss,  and  some  of  them  crossing  the 
s:ieam  form  a  series  of  bad  rapids. 

After  surmounting  the  last  of  these  rapids,  wc  ran  for  forty  miles 
to  tnc  soutlivvitrd  throngli  Isle  a-Ia-Crosse  Lake,  and  I  imagine 
c;  nie  agoin  upon  ihe  verge  of  the  limestone  formation.  The 
ouiury  is  Hat  and  sandy,  varied  only  by  some  long  low  even  ridges. 
Many  fragnieiits  of  the  limestone,  that  has  been  already  described, 
lie  on  the  surface.  Captain  Franklin  observed  limestone  in  one 
part  of  iJeaver  River,  which  flows  into  the  south  side  of  Isle-a  la- 
Ciosse  Lake;  and  we  were  informed  by  the  traders  that  it  occurs 
throughout  the  river.  The  same  sandy  soil  was  observed  in  our 
progress  up  Deep  Uiver,  and  through  Cross,  Buffalo,  and  Methyc 
Lakes.  The  ground  here,  however,  is  slightl)  varied  with  hill  and 
dale.  Where  the  river  had  made  a  section  of  the  hills,  they  were 
observed  to  be  composed  of  small  boulders  of  gneiss  and  limestone, 
intermixed  with  fine  white  quartzy  calcareous  sand.  On  the  south 
side  of  Buffalo  Lake,  there  is  a  long  low  ridge,  with  a  slightly  cre- 
nated  or  indented  outline.  In  Methye  River  the  boulders  are 
larger  and  more  numerous,  forming  a  long  series  of  bad  rapids  in 
that  small  stream.  On  the  north  side  of  Methye  Lake,  the  eleva- 
tions of  sand  assume  a  more  decided  hilly  form,  and  on  the  further 
side  of  Methye  Portage,  they  form  boundaries  to  the  beautiful  valley 
of  the  Washacummow,  from  one  thousand  two  hundred  to  one 
thousand  five  hundred  feet  high.  The  prevailing  tree,  in  this  sandy 
district,  is  the  Pinus  Banksiana.  This  valley,  from  two  to  three 
miles  wide,  and  bounded  on  each  side  by  these  almost  precipitous 
sand-hills,  is  traversed  by  the  Clear  Water  or  Washacummow 
River.  At  the  distance  of  ten  miles  below  the  portage,  the  channel 
of  the  river  is  obstructed  by  a  ridge  of  limestone.  This  ridge  ap- 
pears to  have  once  blocked  up  the  outlet  of  the  valley  altogether, 
for  portions  of  it  still  rise  from  the  solid  strata  through  the  thin 
sandy  soil  ot  the  plain  to  the  height  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet.  These 
projecting  parts  have  generally  a  columnar  form,  and  bear  from 
their  arrangement  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  ruins  of  an  exten- 
sive city.  The  stone  much  resembles  that  at  the  Grand  Rapid  on 
the  Saskatchawan,  but  perhaps  contains  silica  instead  of  alumina. 
Like  that  it  yields  readily  to  the  action  of  the  stream,  falling  down 
in  large  tabular  masses.  The  outline  of  the  sandy  boundaries  of 
this  singular  valley,  strongly  countenances  the  idea  of  the  waters  of 
^he  Washacummow  having  been  at  some  distant  period  accumula- 
ted therein.  Tongues  of  sand  frequerttly  project  from  the  hills  on 
each  side,  and  run  across  the  plain,  exactly  similar  in  appcarancf 


t 


GE0GN08TICAL    OBSERVATIONS. 


459 


to  the  ridj;es  thrown  up  by  the  currents,  and  eddies  of  an  extensive 
lake.  The  ground  on  the  poriai-eii  sounds  hollow ;  and  this,  to- 
gether with  the  ruinafoYvn  appearance  ot  the  rucks,  and  the  oc- 
currence of  sulphureous  springs  in  the  neighbourhood,  has  im- 
pressed the  traders  with  a  notion  that  the  whulc  has  been  the  work 
of  a  volcano.  From  this  spot  downwards,  the  bed  of  the  Washa- 
cummow  is  formed  of  this  stone,  or  of  a  calcareous  sandstone  into 
which  it  passes.  It  produces  a  long  succession  of  cascades  and 
rapids.  A  the  White  Mud  Portage  the  strata  are  horizontal,  and 
consist  :>f  siliceous  limestone.  The  portage  obtains  its  name  from 
the  existence  of  some  whitish  marl  in  the  hollows,  formed  by 
the  decomposition  of  the  rock.  The  same  rock  occurs  at  the  Cas- 
cade, and  intermediate  portages.  A  short  way  below  the  last  port- 
age, a  small  rivulet,  having  a  strong  smell  of  sulphurated  hydrogen 
gas,  flows  in;  and  two  or  three  sulphureous  springs  arise  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  issuing  apparently  from  a  siliceous  limestone. 
The  beds  of  the  springs  were  incrusted  with  calcareous  tufa. 
Further  down,  the  chaiuiel  of  the  river  is  composed  of  horizontal 
beds  of  common  yellowish-grey  compact  iimcsioiic.  At  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Red  Willow  River,  there  rises  through  the  soil  a  large 
mass  of  limestone  which  contains  hornsiouc.  VVe  did  not  ascer- 
tain whether  this  mass  was  tonnecicd  with  tlic  strata  underneath, 
which  consists  of  sandstone  in  plates. 

Below  this,  where  the  Washacummow,  in  its  winding  course 
through  the  valley,  approaches  the  high-bounding  hills,  sections  of 
their  sides,  formed  by  the  ravines  which  opened  into  the  river,  enabled 
us  to  observe  that  they  were  composed  of  sand  more  or  less  aggluti- 
nated by  bitumen,  which  latter  hardens  into  slaggy  mineral  pitch. 
This  sandy  bed,  from  six  hundred  to  eight  hundred  feet  thick,  rests 
immediately  upon  yellowish-grey  limestone  containing  many  bivalve 
shells  and  orthoctSratites.  The  dip,  where  it  could  be  observed, 
(for  it  was  very  slight,)  appeared  to  be  to  the  northward.  The 
limestone  forms  the  channel  of  the  river  throughout,  and  some 
portions  of  it,  decaying  more  rapidly  than  others,  exhibit  more 
plainly  the  shells  which  enter  very  largely  into  its  composition. 
At  the  junction  of  the  Washacummow  with  the  Elk  River,  or  as 
it  is  termed,  at  the  Forks  of  the  Athabasca,  the  northerly  dip  is 
more  clearly  discerned  than  elsewhere.  The  stream  here,  too,  has 
made  a  section  of  the  superincumbent  bed  of  sand,  upwards  of  oi?c 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  depth,  and  shews  it  to  consist  of  a  variety 
of  strata,  having  different  shades  of  colour  and  tenacity  according 
to  the  quantity  of  bitumen  they  contain. 

The  limestone,  more  or  less  thickly  covered  with  slaggy  mineral 
pitch,  continues  to  form  the  banks  of  Elk  River,  as  fur  down  as 
Pierre  au  Calumet,  in  lat.  57°  25'.  The  hil'.s  or  banks,  which 
bound  the  view  on  each  side,  do  not  rise  so  hi(;h  as  in  Clour  Water 
River;  and  we  have  been  informed,  that  at  a  little  distance  from  the 
river,  a  plain  upon  a  level  with  the  summit  of  these  hills  extends 


460 


Al'l'KNUlX. 


^■W 


from  near  Athabasca  Lake  to  the  Clear  Water  Kiver  tolerably  well 
wooded,  and  frequented  by  buffalo. 

About  nineteen  miles  below  the  Forks,  and  a  mile  within  tiie 
right  bank  of  the  river,  a  saline  sulphureous  spring  occurs.  This 
spring  rises  from  the  sum  ..it  of  a  rounded  eminence,  which  in 
about  fifty-six  yards  in  diam^jter,  sixty  feet  high,  and  entirely  in- 
crusted  with,  or  perhaps  in  a  great  proportion  composed  of,  saline 
deposits.*  This  eminence  is  bounded  on  three  sides  by  the  high 
bank  of  the  river,  which  here  recedes  a  little,  and  forms  an  even 
round-bucked  ridge,  rising  two  hundred  feet  above  the  spring.  A 
small  clayey  plain  on  the  S.W.  side  of  the  eminence  is  traversed 
by  the  rivulet  from   the  spring,  and  opens  into  a  bay  of  the  river. 

•  Tlie  following  jcvler  from  Dr.  Fife  to  professor  Jiimesoii  gives  the  analysit-. 
of  a  suit  iiR-ntioiicd  in  u  former  page,  us  being  found  on  the  shores  of  a  lakr 
near  (Jurlton-llotisc,  and  also  of  the  incrustation  just  spoken  of  in  the  text. 

Edinburgh,  January  13,  1823. 
Dkak  StH, 

Knclosed  is  an  account  of  the  experiments  performed  on  the  aub 
stances  you  sent  me  for  analysis. 
First  incrustation  of  white  matter  from  the  lake  near  Carlton-House : — 
When  put  into  water,  it  immediately  agglutinated,  forming  minute  hard 
globules  whicli  seemed  to  prevent  the  farther  action  of  the  fluid;  but  by  heat- 
ing it,  it  was  entirely  dissolved.  'I'hc  only  substance  I  could  detect  in  the 
solution  by  the  use  of  reagents  was  sulphuric  acid  in  a  state  of  combination. 
I  accordingly  suspected  that  the  white  matter  was  effloresced  sulphate  of  soda. 
To  ascertaui'  if  I  was  right  in  my  suspicions,  I  dissolved  a  few  grains  by  the 
aid  of  heat,  and  procured  frgm  the  solution  a  beautiful  group  of  regularly- 
formed  prismatic  crystals,  resembling  those  of  sulphate  of  soda,  and  which 
effloresced  on  exposure  to  a  dry  air.  I  consider  the  white  matter  then  to  be 
merely  sulphate  of  soda  deprived  of  its  water  of  crystaUization  by  lung  ex- 
posure to  the  atmosphere. 
Second  deposition  from  the  Salt  Springs  in  the  Elk  Kiver : — 
When  recently  broken,  it  presented  in  several  places  groups  of  irregular- 
shaped  crystals,  intermixed  with  a  wiiite  powdeiy  matter,  and  with  a  yellow 
substance  resembling  flowers  of  sulphur.  It  had  a  slightly  saline  taste,  and, 
when  rubbed,  a  faint  sulphureous  odour.  When  thrown  on  a  hot  iron,  it 
emitted  blue  Hame  and  the  vapour  of  sulphureous  acid.  By  long  boiling  in 
successive  portions  of  water,  it  was  almost  all  dissolved,  the  solution  affording 
by  the  usual  test  sulphuric  acid,  muriatic  acid,  lime,  and  magnesia.  The  mu- 
riatic acid,  and  magnesia  were,  however,  in  small  quantity  compared  to  the 
others,  and  in  the  last  portions  of  water  in  which  the  saline  matter  was  boiled 
could  scarcely  be  detected.  As  it  did  not  attract  moisture  on  expo.sure  to 
:ur,  I  suppose  the  muriatic  acid  must  have  been  in  combination  with  soda,  as 
muriates  ot  lime  and  magnesia  are  both  deliquescent.  What  was  left  undis- 
solved by  the  w.-iter  contained  sulphur  and  a  very  minute  quantity  of  iron. 

I  consider  this  inerustatiun,  then,  as  composed  principally  of  sulphate  of 
lime,  with  a  slight  admixture  of  sulphate  of  magnesia  and  muriate  of  soda,  and 
with  sulphur  and  Iron. 

I  regret  that  the  time  allotted  me  for  the  analyses  was  not  sufficient  to  en 
able  me  to  ascertain  the  proportion  of  the  ingredients.    Yours,  &c. 

Anhukw  Fvpk 


GEOCJNOSTICAL    OBSERVATIONS. 


461 


n  ihe 
This 
ich  is 
tly  in- 
salinc 
c  high 
l^  even 
ig.     A 
versed 
i  river. 

analysi^- 
(f  a  lakf 
e  text. 

823. 
the  sub 

je: — 

lUte  hard 
by  heat- 

ct  in  the 

ibination. 

of  soda. 

19  by  the 

[egularly- 
d  which 
len  to  be 
long  ex- 


A  large  and  apparently  travelled  fragment  of  hornhlendic  gneiss 
lie  son  lite  acclivity  under  the  spring,  but  the  nearest  rocks  observed 
in  aim  were  composed  of  yellowislri-white  compact  splintery  lime- 
stone. 

At  the  new  Fort,  a  considerable  distance  above  Pierre  au  Calu- 
met,, a  liniestone  similar  to  that  last  mentioned  occurs,  having  its 
strata  waved  or  dipping  both  to  the  east  and  west.  Below  this, 
there  is  a  peaty  bog  whose  crevices  are  filled  with  petroleum. 

This  mineral  exists  in  great  abundance  in  this  district.  We 
never  observed  it  flowing  from  the  limestone,  but  always  above  it, 
and  generally  agglutinating  the  beds  of  sand  into  a  kind  of  pitchy 
sandstone.  Sometimes  fragments  of  this  stone  contain  so  much 
petroleum  as  to  float  down  the  stream.  The  limestone  dips  under 
the  water  and  disappears  at  Pierre  au  Calumet,  and  the  pitchy 
sandstone  cliffs  which  rest  on  it  also  terminate  there.  This  spot, 
situated  between  three  or  four  miles  below  an  old  fort,  obtains  its 
name  from  a  bed  of  yellowish-grey  compact  marl,  which  forms  a 
small  cliff  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  is  quarried  by  the  voyagers 
for  the  purpose  of  making  Calumets  or  pipes.  A  portion  of  this 
bed,  acted  on  by  the  weather  and  the  water  of  the  river,  is  convert- 
ed into  earthy  marl,  and  is  much  used  by  the  traders  under  the 
name  of  white  earth  for  whitewashing  their  apartments.  Immedi- 
ately under  the  marl,  and  generally  covered  by  the  river,  there  is 
a  bed  of  limestone  almost  entirely  composed  of  orthoccratites  and 
bivalve  shells.* 

For  some  distance  below  Pierre  au  Calumet  to  a  place  called 
Burnt  Point,  the  banks  of  the  river  rise  in  a  gentle  swell  until  they 
attain  the  height  of  300  feet  at  a  short  distance  from  the  shore.  They 
appeared  to  consist  of  sand  with  limestone  boulders,  but  we  saw 
few  sections  of  them.  Between  Burnt  Point  and  Athabasca  Lake, 
the  banks  are  every  where  lew  and  alluvial,  containing  much  vege- 
table matter,  and  overgrown  with  willows  and  aspens. 

In  Athabasca  Lake  we  again  came  upon  the  edge  of  the  primi- 
tive formation.  The  country  around  Fort  Chipewyan  is  composed 
of  roundish  masses  of  naked  rock,  which  heaped,  as  it  were,  on 
each  other,  and  rising  as  they  recede  from  the  lake,  attain,  at  the 
distance  of  a  mile  from  the  shore,  an  elevation  of  five  or  six  hun- 
dred feet.  The  valleys  are  narrow,  their  sides  often  precipitous, 
and  the  general  form  of  the  hills  may  be  termed  short  conical,  but 
their  outline  is  very  uneven.  The  rocks  also  form  many  islands  in 
the  lake  from  two  to  three  hundred  feet  high,  and  generally  bound- 
ed on  one  or  more  sides  by  precipices.  The  Fort  seems  to  stand 
upon  a  granite  rock.  A  little  to  the  eastward,  a  reddish  granite  is 
associated  with  grey  gneiss.     The  strata  much  convoluted  and  in- 


.M 


Fl 


^^ 


Int  to  eiv 


*  This  orthoceratitic  limestone  bears  some  resemblance  to  tiie  mountain 
limestone  of  mineralogists.  It  may  therefore  possibly  belong  t  o  the  formation 
tinder  the  new  red  sandstone. 


•162 


API'KNDIX. 


tcrsected  in  various  directions  by  veins  filled  with  a  bluisii  grcy 
vitreous  looking  quartz.  In  a  bay  of  the  lake,  about  a  niili  farther 
to  the  eastward,  there  is  a  cliflF  oJ  clay  slaie.  On  leaving;  I'ort 
Chipewyan,  we  paddled  through  several  miles  ol  lake,  and  then 
descended  the  Stony  River.  Rucks,  similar  to  those  in  Athabasca 
Lake,  but  possessing  less  elevation,  rise  above  the  swampy  borders 
of  this  stream  At  the  distance  of  eighteen  miles  from  Fort 
Chipewyan,  it  falls  into  the  Peace  River,  when  the  united  streams 
assume  the  name  of  Slave  River. 

The  niost  abundant  rock  on  the  Slave  River  is  granite.  A  red 
granite  occurs  opposite  to  the  portage  into  Duck  Lake.  Near  a 
point  termed  the  Bute,  the  rocks,  comprised  of  felspar,  quartz,  and 
chlorite,  have  a  slaty  structure.  Hclow  this,  the  granite  rising  in 
the  channel  of  the  river  forms  the  Carreboeuf  Islands.  A  rock, 
examined  opposite  ihest  islands,  was  composed  of  felspar  and  quartz, 
probably  a  variety  of  granite.  Lower  down,  the  ridges  of  granite  rise 
higher  and  prove  a  more  formidable  obstruction  to  the  river,  pro- 
ducini^  muny  cascades  and  rapids.  At  the  Cassette  Portage,  a  bed 
of  mica  slate,  composed  of  i^rcy  quartz  and  mica,  occurs  in  the 
granite.  At  the  Little  Hock  Portage  l)elow  the  Portage  d'Embar- 
ras,  a  rock,  composed  of  felspar  quartis  and  chlorite,  occurs.  It  is 
similar  to  that  observed  at  the  Bute  above-mentioned,  but  it  wants 
the  slaty  structure.  It  is  the  protogine  of  Jurine.  At  the  upper 
end  of  Mountain  Portage,  the  san.e  chloritic,  granite,  or  protogine, 
again  occurs  in  large  quantity.  In  the  middle  of  the  portage,  a  va- 
riety of  this  rock  occurs,  composed  principally  of  quartz,  with  a  lit- 
tle chlorite  and  felspar;  and  adjoining  to  this  bed  there  is  another, 
composed  of  red  felspar  and  grey  quartz.  The  protogine  succeed- 
ing again  forms  the  lower  and  principal  part  of  the  portage.  At 
the  Hauling  Place  below  the  Mountain  Portage,  a  variety  of  gra- 
nite which  has  been  just  mentioned  aa  composed  of  red  felspar  and 
grey  quartz  again  occurs,  and  alternates  with  the  protogine  both 
there,  at  the  Pelican  Fall,  and  at  the  Portage  dea  JVoyea.  The 
granite  disappears  about  a  mile  and  a  half  below  the  latter  portage, 
and  the  banks  of  the  river  from  thence  to  Slave  Lake  are  alluvial. 

The  Salt  River  flows  in  from  the  westward  a  short  way  below  the 
portages.  We  ascended  it  for  twenty-two  miles,  including  its 
>vindings,  but  not  above  half  that  distance  in  a  straight  line,  for  the 
purpose  of  visiting  the  salt  springs  from  whence  it  derives  its  taste 
and  name.  Seven  or  eight  copious  saline  springs  issue  from  the 
base  of  a  long  even  ridge  about  six  hundred  feet  high,  and  spread- 
ing their  waters  over  an  extensive  clayey  plain,  deposit  a  considera- 
ble quantity  of  very  pure  common  salt  in  large  cubical  crystals. 
The  mother  water  flowing  into  the  Salt  River  gives  it  a  very  bitter 
taste,  which  it  retains  until  near  its  junction  with  the  Slave  River, 
when  the  addition  of  some  fresh  water  streams  renders  it  only  slight- 
ly brackish.  A  few  patches  of  greyish  compact  gypsum  were  ex- 
posed on  the  side  of  the  ridge  from  whence  the  springs  issue,  a  fart 


■Ni 


which  seems  to  point  out  the  upper  part  of  the  new  red  sand-stone, 
IS  the  formation  from  whence  they  take  their  rise.  A  pure  white 
gypsum  is  said  to  be  found  at  Peace  Point  in  Peace  River,  which  is 
probably  a  continuation  of  this  formation.  The  salt  plains  are  much 
frequented  by  deer  and  buifalo. 

The  banks  of  Slave  River,  below  the  influx  of  Salt  River,  are,  as 
have  been  already  mentioned,  entirely  alluvial.  A  great  quantity 
of  large  drift  timber  is  brought  down  by  Peace  River;  and  as  the 
trees  retain  their  roots,  which  are  often  loaded  with  earth  or  stones, 
they  readily  sink,  especially  when  water-soaked,  and  accumulating 
in  the  eddies,  form  shoals  which  ultimately  augment  into  islands. 
A  thicket  of  small  willows  covers  the  new-formed  island  as  soon  as 
it  appears  above  water,  and  their  fibrous  roots  serve  to  bind  the 
whole  firmly  together.  Sections  of  these  islands  are  annually  made 
by  the  river,  assisted  by  the  frost;  and  it  is  interesting  to  study  the 
diversity  of  appearances  they  present,  according  m  their  different 
ages.  The  trunks  of  the  trees  gradually  decay  until  they  are  con- 
verted into  a  blackish-brown  substance  resembling  peat,  but  which 
still  retains  more  or  less  of  the  fibrous  structure  of  the  wood,  and 
layers  of  this  often  alternate  with  layers  of  clay  and  sand,  the  whole 
being  penetrated  to  the  depth  of  four  or  five  yards  or  more  by 
the  long  fibrous  roots  of  the  willows.  A  deposition  of  this  kind, 
with  the  aid  of  a  little  infiltration  of  bituminous  matter,  would  pro- 
duce an  excellent  imitation  of  coal  with  vegetable  impressions  of 
the  willow  root.  What  appeared  most  remarkable  was  the  hori- 
zontal slaty  structure  thai  the  older  alluvial  banks  presented,  or  the 
regular  curve  that  the  strata  assumed  from  unequal  subsidence.  It 
was  on  the  rivers  only  that  we  could  observe  sections  of  these  depo- 
sits, but  the  same  operation  goes  on  in  a  much  more  magnificent  scale 
in  the  lakes.  A  shoal  of  many  miles  in  extent  is  formed  on  the  south 
side  of  Athabasca  Lake,  by  the  drift  timber  and  vegetable  debris 
brought  down  by  the  Elk  River;  and  the  Slave  Lake  itself  must  in 
process  of  time  be  filled  up  by  the  matters  daily  conveyed  into  it  from 
Slave  River.  Vast  quantities  of  drift  timber  are  buried  under  the  sand 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  enormous  piles  of  it  are  accumulated 
on  the  shores  of  every  part  of  the  lake.  The  waves,  washing  up 
much  disintegrated  vegetable  matter,  fill  the  interstices  of  these 
entangled  masses,  and  in  process  of  time  a  border  of  spurious  peat 
is  formed  round  the  various  bays  of  the  lake. 

Moose  Deer  Island,  and  the  islands  adjoining  to  it,  seem  to  be 
on  the  boundary  of  the  limestone  formation  which  we  have  so  often 
mentioned.  Large  fcagments  of  the  stones  containing  shells  were 
imbedded  in  the  soil;  and  although  we  did  not  discover  any  of  the 
rot  ks  in  aitUy  yet  the  form  of  the  rising  grounds,  on  the  different 
islands,  strongly  countenanced  the  opinion  that  the  strata  under- 
neath consisted  of  limestone.  The  stone,  from  Mr.  Wentzel's  in- 
formation, occurs  in  horizontal  strata,  traversing  the  bed  of  the 
Riviere  aux  Liard»,  (the  south  branch  of  M'Kcnzie's  River,)  and 


^>i 


i;f.ognostical  observations. 


'163 


4()4 


APPENDIX. 


betwixt  that  and  Slave  Lake  near  the  Troul  River  there  is  an  ox 
tensive  plain  of  white  earthy  marl  similar  to  that  which  wc  observ- 
ed at  Pierre  au  Calumet,  on  Athabasca  River,  associated  with  the 
limestone.  Farther  down  M^Kenzie's  River,  and  more  to  liie  west- 
ward, the  coal  formation  exists.  There  are  beds  of  coal  on  tire 
twenty  or  thirty  miles  above  the  influx  of  Cireat  Dear  Lake  River, 
and  below  that  there  are  petroleum  and  sulphur  sprin^^s. 

Reverting  again  to  our  route.  Primitive  rocks  occur  a  little  to 
the  eastward  of  Riviere  a  Jean,  one  of  the  many  channels  by  which 
Slave  River  pours  its  waters  into  the  lake.  Stony  Island  is  a  small 
naked  rock  rising  fifty  or  sixty  feet  above  the  water,  and  precipitous 
on  the  north  side.  It  is  a  mass  of  granite  consisting  of  flesh-colour- 
ed felspar  and  quartz,  with  but  little  or  no  mica.  The  Rein-deer 
Islands,  which  lie  in  the  traverse  to  the  north  side  of  the  lake,  con- 
sist of  a  much  coarser  granite  with  the  mica  in  large  plates.  These 
islands  are  numerous,  and  rise  from  a  hundred  two  hundred  feet 
above  the  water.  They  abound  in  precipices,  and  are  for  the  most 
part  naked ;  but  towards  the  centres  of  the  larger  ones,  there  is  a 
little  soil  and  a  few  groves  of  pine.  The  same  kind  of  granite  pre- 
vails on  the  northern  shores  of  the  lake,  from  the  Big  Cape  to 
some  distance  to  the  westward  of  Fort  Providence.  It  forms  small 
hills,  with  steep,  somewhat  precipitous,  sides,  and  narrow  valleys 
between. 

The  lower  part  of  these  hills  generally  consists  of  coarse  granite, 
much  intersected  by  veins  of  quartz  and  felspar,  and  frequently  en- 
closing masses  of  felspar ;  their  summits,  on  the  contrary,  mostly 
smooth  and  rounded,  never  peaked,  are  formed  of  a  more  com- 
pact and  durable  rock,  which  is  the  same  kind  of  granite  that  is 
observed  at  Fort  Chipewyan,  and  is  composed  of  a  crystallized  red 
felspar,  intermixed  with  small  rounded  grains  of  quartz,  generally 
grey,  but  sometimes  tinged  red.     It  contains  little  or  no  mica. 

The  granite  formation  continued  for  a  considerable  distance  on 
our  route  towards  Fort  Enterprize,  but  it  contained  more  and  more 
foreign  beds  as  we  advanced  to  the  northward.  At  our  encamp* 
ment  of  August  2d,  on  the  borders  of  the  lake,  the  strata  consist- 
ed of  clay  slate,  and  had  a  slight  dip  to  the  northward.  At  the 
mouth  of  the  Yellow-Knife  River,  and  in  Lake  Prosperous,  mica 
slate  prevailed.  Between  Rocky  and  Carp  Lakes,  the  granite  con- 
tains many  beds  of  mica  slate,  often  passing  into  rlay  Hiate,  and  the 
country  is  tolerably  well  wooded.  While  spruce  occupies  the 
rocky  situations,  Pinus  Banksiana  the  sandy  spots,  and  aspen  the 
low  moist  places. 

At  Carp  Lake  the  hills  are  of  lower  altitude,  have  fewer  preci- 
pices, and  more  rounded  summits;  the  valleys  are  less  fertile,  con- 
tain a  gravelly  soil,  and  nourish  fewer  trees.  This  appears  to  be 
the  commencement  of  the  gneiss,  or,  as  it  may  be  termed  in  this 
latitude,  the  Barren  Ground  formation,  for  it  seems  to  exist 
throughout  the  great  district  to  the  eastward  of  the  Copper-Mine 


C.EOGNOSTICAL    OBSERVATIONS. 


4G5 


\  an  ex- 
obscrv- 
wiih  the 
lie  wesi- 
l  oil  lire 
e  Uiver, 

I  liulc  to 
ly  which 

4  a  small 
ccipitous 
h-colour- 
tcin-dccr 
ake,  con- 
I.  These 
»dred  feet 

the  most 
there  is  a 
anite  pre- 

5  Cape  to 
rms  small 
)W  valleys 

le  granite, 
uently  en- 
ry,  mostly 
lore  com- 
ite  that  is 
ilUzed  red 

generally 
mica, 
istance  on 

and  more 


rous,  mica 
janite  con- 
le,  and  the 
lupies  the 
ispen  the 

irer  preci- 
Irtile,  con- 
lears  to  be 
^cd  in  this 
to   exist 

Iper-Mine 


River,  termed  the  Barren  Oroinuls  by  the  Imlians.  The  soil  ap 
pears  to  be  very  favourable  to  the  production  of  the  cenomycea  ran- 
gifcrina  and  nivalia,  and  some  other  con^;«;ncrous  lichens,  but  very 
inimical  to  every  other  species  of  v lactation.  On  the  borders  of 
the  formation,  as  at  Prospect  Hill,  a  little  above  Carp  Lake,  trees 
occur  only  in  detached  and  distant  clumps.  At  Tort  Enterprizc,  a 
thin  grove  grows  in  a  very  favourable  situation  on  the  sheltered 
banks  of  Winter  River;  but  nearer  the  middle  of  the  Barren 
Grounds  there  is  not  even  a  shrub  to  be  seen,  although  parallel  to 
them  a  strip  of  wood  follows  the  transition,  and  secondary  forma- 
tions on  the  Copper- Mine  River  to  a  much  higher  latitude.  In- 
stead of  enumerating  the  different  places  where  the  rocks  were 
cursorily  examined  on  our  route,  we  shall  confine  ourselves  more 
particularly  to  those  of  the  same  formation  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Fort  Entcrprize,  where  during  our  long  stay,  we  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  observing  more  closely  the  relations  of  the  different  rocks 
to  each  other. 

The  country  about  Tort  Enterprizc  consists  of  short  and  very 
obtuse  conical,  or  sometimes  round-backed,  hills,  of  moderate  ele- 
vations, never  disposed  in  mountain  ranges,  but  entirely  unconnect- 
ed and  separated  from  each  other  by  inclined  valleys  of  moderate 
extent.  Their  summits  are  almost  universally  formed  of  naked 
smooth  rock,  and  generally  of  a  species  oi  durable  red  granite  that 
has  been  more  than  once  mentioned  as  composed  of  well  crystalliz- 
ed reddish  felspar  and  grey  quartz.  Large  irregular,  but  some- 
what cubical,  fragments  of  this  rock  are  scattered  over  the  surface 
of  the  hills,  or  rest  upon  their  very  summits,  by  two  or  three  an- 
gular points,  as  if  left  exposed  there  by  the  decay  of  the  less  dura- 
ble material  that  enclosed  them.  A  remarkable  instance  of  this 
occurs  about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  southward  of  Fort  Enterprize, 
on  a  hill  which  is  thence  termed  the  Big  Stone  Hill.  This  hill, 
which  is  the  highest  for  many  miles,  rises  from  six  to  eight  hun- 
dred feet  above  Winter  River.  The  acclivities  of  the  hills,  gene- 
rally speaking,  consist  of  gneiss  wrapped  in  a  mantle  form  round 
the  granite.  These  acclivities  arc  more  or  less  thickly  covered 
with  a  coarse  gravelly  soil,  and  very  often  exhibit  accumulations 
of  large  cubical  fragments  of  gneiss,  which  fall  from  small  mural 
precipices.  In  the  upper  parts  of  the  inclined  valleys,  at  the  base 
of  the  hills,  there  is  commonly  a  very  thin  layer  of  mountain  peat, 
but  the  bottom  of  almost  every  valley  is  occupied  by  a  lake.  Most 
of  these  lakes  communicate  with  each  other  only  when  flooded  by 
the  melting  snow,  and  many  of  the  smaller  ones  are  entirely  land- 
locked; they  all  contain  iish.  On  the  borders  of  the  formation, 
where  a  few  trees  exist,  the  white  spruce  is  confined  to  the  sandy 
soil  that  is  partially  accumulated  on  the  banks  of  the  streams.  A 
few  birches  sometimes  grow  amongst  the  large  stones  on  the  banks 
of  a  rapid,  and  two  or  three  stunted  black  spruces  now  and  ther 
occur  on  the  peaty  spots. 


■  ^m 


L'Ji<n| 


.'^v.   i 


y 


rM 


'  i 


ii , 


M. 


too 


APPENDIX 


\  '■: 

i- 

•^ . ' 

i: 

'm 

r  .    r 

^■T 

''S 

•/J 

It  may  be  ptopei  to  titciition  the  localities  ol  some  ot  the  lockfj 
about  Fort  Entcrprize,  where  we  had  the  best  opportunity  of  ex- 
amining this  formation. 

The  strata  at  the  base,  and  on  the  acclivities  of  the  fii(;  Stone 
Hill  already  mentioned,  consist  of  (granitic  gneiss,  its  summit  of  red 
granite.  A  hill  about  a  mile  to  the  S.S.W.  of  this,  composed  of 
gneiss,  dipping  S.LLb.E.  at  an  angle  of  70°,  presents  a  mural 
precipice  of  red  granite  traversed  by  a  thick  vein  of  augitc  green- 
stone; one  portion  of  the  vein  may  be  termed  busaltic  augite  green- 
stone. Half  a  mile  further,  in  the  same  direction,  there  is  a  mural 
precipice,  the  loftiest  in  the  neighbourhood,  being  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  high,  which  is  fornied  of  red  granite,  alternating 
with  granitic  gneiss.  In  a  dilatation  of  Winter  River,  tern»ed  by 
the  Indians  the  Lake  of  the  Hound  Rock,  which  commences  about 
half  a  mile  below  the  last-mentioned  hill,  and  runs  twelve  miles  in 
a  S.S.W.  diiection,  a  red  porphyritic  gneiss,  forming  many  mural 
precipices,  exists  subordinate  to  grt-y  gnci.ss;  the  same  rocks  occur, 
with  little  variation,  in  Snare  Lake,  which  immediately  succeeds 
the  other,  and  is  Kftcen  miles  long.  But  about  thirty-six  miles  S. 
S.W.  from  Fort  Enterprizc,  we  again  come  upon  the  granite  for- 
mation, through  which  wc  passed  on  our  route  from  Fort  Provi- 
dence, and  the  country  is  well  wooded.  Specimens  of  the  rocks 
obtained  from  that  neighbourhood  consisted  of  red  granite,  granite 
■with  pistacite,  porphyritic,  and  hornblendic  gneiss. 

Returning  again  to  Fort  Enterprize — about  two  miles  E.N.E.  of 
the  fort,  or  nearly  the  same  distance  N.E.  of  Big  Stone  Hill,  there 
occur  a  succession  of  low  clifls  formed  by  strata  dipping  north  at 
an  angle  of  30°.  The  strata  occur  in  the  following  order,  begin- 
ning^with  the  lowest : — gneiss  with  hornblende — red  gneiss— ditto 
— coarse  granular  grey  gneiss — ditto— ditto— and  the  covering 
stratum  is  composed  of  red  granite  and  granitic  gneiss,  with  kid- 
neys of  hornblende  and  mica.  An  obtuse  conical  hill,  bearing  N 
N.E.  from  the  fort,  and  three  miles  and  a  half  distant,  consists  of 
strata  arranged  in  a  mantle  form,  but  deficient  on  the  N.E.  side, 
where  it  is  precipitous.  This  precipice  is  separated  by  regular 
fissures  into  large  cubical  masses  similar  to  many  which  have  ac- 
cumulated at  its  base,  and  consists  of  hornblendic  gneiss,  which 
seems  to  constitute  the  nucleus  or  body  of  the  hill.  A  thin  layer 
of  compact  gneiss  is  wrapped  round  the  hornblendic  gneiss,  and 
forms  the  acclivity  and  summit  of  the  hill,  making  an  angle  of  70' 
with  the  horizon.  Covering  the  base  of  this  stratum,  there  is  one 
of  micaceous  gneiss,  over  which  there  lies  a  thick  bed  of  compact 
quartzy  greenstone  with  disseminated  magnetic  pyrites.  This  rock 
affects  the  compass  strongly,  and  its  surface  is  variegated  with 
streaks  of  a  rusty  brown  colour  from  the  weathering  of  the  pyrites. 
Over  the  greenstone  there  is  a  bed  of  white  granite.  About  halt 
a  mile  to  the  eastward  of  the  last-mentioned  hill,  there  is  a  high 
bluff  one  which  has  a  precipitous  side  fronting  the  S.W.     Tht 


WEOGNOSTIC  AL    OBSERVATIONS. 


467 


of  ex 

J  Slonc 
t  of  rc<\ 
loneil  of 

1  mural 
:  gveen- 

2  j^recn- 
a  mural 
hundred 
ernaling 
rnied  by 
cs  about 
miles  in 

ny  mural 
ks  occur, 
succeeds 
miles  S. 
■anite  for- 
>ri  Provi- 
the  rocks 
e,  granite 

E.N.E.  of 
lilU  there 
north  at 
er,  begin- 
iss — ditto 
covering 
with  kid- 
earing  N 
lonsisis  of 
»J,E.  side, 
regular 
have  ac- 
ss,  which 
thin  layer 
leiss,  and 
gle  of  70^ 
ere  is  one 
compact 
[This  rock 
;aied  with 
te  pyrites, 
bout  half 
is  a  high 
W,     Tht 


l)U!>c  of  the  precipice  is  formed  of  coarse  granular  gneiss,  the  sum- 
mil  of  red  granite,  which  falls  down  in  tabular  or  cubical  fragments 
The  Dog-Hib  Rock,  a  remarkable  hill,  having  three  precipitous 
sides  but  a  gradual  ascent  on  the  iourili,  lies  about  eight  miles  N. 
b.E.  from  Fort  Entcrprize.  The  base  of  the  hill  consists  of  com- 
pact hornblendic  gneiss,  which  is  traversed  by  a  vein  of  very  coarse 
granite  several  yards  wide.  The  upper  part  of  the  hill  consists  of 
strata  of  hornblendic  gneiss,  dipping  N.b.W.  at  an  a  ijlc  of  45**. 

About  thirty  miles  due  north  of  Dog-Hib  Rock,  an  irregular 
ridge  of  hills  of  coarse  sand  and  gravel  occurs.  The  intermediate 
district  is  a  continuation  of  the  gneiss  formation,  without  any  ma- 
terial alteration  in  appearance,  and  beds  of  gneiss  or  granite  occa- 
sionally shew  themselves  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge.  These  sand  hills 
constitute  a  small  height  of  land  between  the  source  of  Winter 
River  and  a  dilatation  of  the  Cooper-Mine  River,  named  Point 
Lake.  The  gneiss  app  ars  in  abundance  on  the  north  side  of  this 
height,  associated  with  miich  mica  slate  and  some  clay  slate.  The 
hills  are  higher  here,  and  the  valleys  narrower  and  deeper,  than  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Fort  Entcrprize. 

On  an  arm  of  Point  Lake,  about  forty-five  miles  due  north  of 
Eort  Entcrprize,  the  rocks  belong  to  the  transition  class.  The  hills 
here  are  six  or  seven  hundred  feet  high,  and  are  in  their  general 
character  rather  round-backed,  but  obtuse  conical  elevations  and 
high  and  steep  cliffs  are  very  numerous. 

At  the  encampment  in  lat.  65°  13'  N.,  from  whence  we  started 
on  June  25th,  the  following  strata  occur,  dipping  to  the  westward 
at  an  angle  of  80",  but  much  waved  and  convoluted: — Greywacke 
passing  into  Greywacke  slate — Greywacke  with  small  imbedded 
crystals  of  hornblende— dark  greenish  or  blackish  grey  transition 
clay  slate,  having  a  thick  slaty  structure.  Several  flat  islands  in 
the  lake  consist  of  transition  greenstone.  A  rock  standing  apart 
from  the  neighbouring-  hills  on  the  borders  of  the  lake,  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  to  the  southward  of  the  encampment,  having  a 
rounded  summit,  but  bounded  on  three  sides  by  mural  precipices 
about  two  hundred  feet  high,  is  composed  of  compact  earthy  green- 
stone, containing  disseminated  iron  pyrites  covered  with  layers  of 
transition  greenstone  slate.  The  precipices  in  some  places  present 
a  very  obscure  appearance  of  twisted  columnar  structure,  and  the 
rock  falls  down  in  large  irregular  but  somewhat  rhomboidal  frag- 
ments. The  upper  and  under  surfaces  of  these  fragments  are 
smoothish,  and  present  a  greater  quantity  of  pyrites  than  is  dis- 
semmated  through  the  rest  of  the  rock.  On  the  north  side  of  the 
lake,  two  miles  from  the  encampment,  there  is  a  high  bluff  hill  with 
a  precipitous  side,  which  seems  to  consist  principally  of  a  transi- 
tion conglomerate.  The  basis  is  earthy  clay  slate.  The  imbedded 
masses  have  an  ellipsoidal  form  and  smooth  surface,  are  from  one 
to  two  feet  in  diameter,  and  appear  to  consist  of  the  same  material 
with  the  basis,  but  impregnated  with  much  silica,  and  not  .shewing 


[i  % 


V'^-' 


!i't 


i  •? 


468 


APPENDIX. 


evident  siaty  strucluie.     When  broken,  they  present  un  even  tine 
gained  fracture. 

In  the  sheltered  valleys  on  this  part  of  Point  Lake,  a  few  clumps 
of  good-sized  spruce  fir  occur;  farther  to  the  eastward,  at  Obstruc- 
tion Rapid,  where  the  gneiss  formation  of  Fort  Enterprize  seems 
to  cross  the  river,  and  extend  beyond  Rum  I^ake,  there  is  no  wood. 

During  our  first  and  second  day's  journey  down  Point  Lake  from 
the  above-mentioned  encampment,  being  eleven  and  a  half  miles  on 
a  W.N.W.  course,  the  rocks  we  had  an  opportunity  of  examining, 
consisted  of  greenish-grey  transition  clay  slate,  generally  having  a 
curved  structure,  and  splitting  into  slates  of  very  unequal  thick- 
ness. 

On  the  following  day,  June  27th,  our  route  lay  to  the  N.W.  for 
ten  and  a  half  miles  through  a  part  of  the  lake,  whose  bounding 
hills  bore  a  strong  resemblance  in  altitude  and  form  to  those  about 
Fort  Enterprize.  The  rocks  we  examined  were  grey  gneiss,  red 
granite,  hornblendic  gneiss,  and  a  crystalline  greenstone.  These 
rocks  form  high  and  precipito.13  islands,  and  shores  at  the  west  end 
of  Point  Lake,  but  the  appearance  of  the  country  alters  immedi- 
ately on  entering  Red  Rock  Lake.  The  strata  here  belong,  most 
probably,  to  the  transition  series,  which,  at  the  lower  end  of  Point 
Lake,  had  given  place  to,  or  perhaps  alternated  with,  primitive 
rocks.  The  hills  which  bound  Red  Rock  Lake  are  four  hundred 
or  five  hundred  feet  high,  have  an  even  round-backed  outline,  pre- 
rent  few  cliffs  and  little  naked  rock,  have  rather  moderate  acclivi- 
ties, and  are  thinly  covered  with  small  white  spruce  trees.  The 
cenomyce  rangiferina.)  and  other  lichens,  so  abundant  on  the  barren 
grounds,  become  rare  here,  and  continue  so  throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  the  Copper-Mine  River.  A  bed  of  reddish  clay  slate 
was  observed  at  the  upper  end  of  the  lake,  and  large  fragments  of 
the  same  rock  thickly  strew  its  shores.  At  the  lower  end  of  the 
lake,  a  greenish-grey  faintly  glimmering  clay  slate  occurs,  dipping 
W.b.N.  at  an  angle  of  30". 

We  passed  through  Rock-Nest  Lake  on  June  30th.  With  the 
exception  of  the  Rock-Nest,  and  one  or  two  hills  adjoining  it  ap- 
parently composed  of  trap  rocks,  the  borders  of  this  lake  are  low, 
consisting  of  long  even  gentle  elevations,  every  where  well  clothed 
with  spruce  trees.  The  strata,  where  we  had  an  opportunity  of 
examining  them,  consisted  of  clay  slate.  A  t  the  place  of  our  encamp- 
ment, on  the  30th,  the  clay  slate  had  a  colour  intermediate  between 
greenish  grey  and  clove  brown ;  the  surface  of  the  slates  feebly 
glistening,  cross  fracture  dull,  structure  rather  thick  slaty,  and  clp 
of  its  strata  E.N.E.  at  an  angle  of  40".  The  Rock  Nest  bore  an 
exact  resemblance  in  altitude  and  form  to  Salisbury  Craigs  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Edinburgh.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  cliff 
which  crowned  it  was  transition  greenstone,  and  the  steep  acclivity 
clay  slate,  but  we  had  not  an  opportunity  of  examining  them. 

After  leaving  Rock-Nest  Lake,  the  Copi>er-Mine  River  flows 


't'- 


GEOGNOSTICAL    OBSERVATIONS. 


4b5 


for  six  or  seven  miles  between  banks,  consisting  of  gentle  cleva 
tions  and  dales,  wooded  to  the  edge  of  the  stream,  and  flanked  on 
both  sides,  at  the  distance  of  three  or  four  miles,  by  a  range  of  very 
barren  hills,  with  steep  acclivities  and  rounded  summits.  The  chan- 
nel of  the  river  is  rocky,  producing  a  series  of  rapids ;  but  unfortu- 
nately the  notices  respecting  the  strata  have  been  lost,  and  we 
have  only  a  general  impression  that  a  hornblendic  gneiss,  probably 
of  the  transition  series,  was  abundant.  On  descending  the  river 
still  farther,  the  high  hills  recede  a  little,  and  the  rocks  on  the  im- 
mediate borders  of  the  stream  give  place  to  fine  sand,  in  which  the 
river  has  made  sections  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  feet  deep. 
Sandy  plains,  on  a  level  with  the  summits  of  the  cliffs,  thus  produ- 
ced, extend  six  or  seven  miles  backwards,  and  are  bounded  by 
irregular  ranges  of  hills  eight  hundred  or  a  thousand  feet  high. 
These  hills  are  round-backed,  with  moderately  steep  acclivities, 
but  they  are  sometimes,  though  not  frequently,  terminated  by  high 
cliffs.  We  were  precluded  from  visiting  them  by  their  distance. 
The  plains  are  chequered  with  small  clumps  of  wood,  and  produce 
a  short  grass  which  attracts  the  musk  oxen  thither  at  certain  sea- 
sons, but  few  rein  deer  frequent  this  part  of  the  country.  About 
twenty  or  twenty-five  miles  below  the  Fairy-Lake  River,  the  woods 
become  thinner  and  more  stunted,  and  the  barren  hills  approach 
the  water's  edge.  The  sandy  banks  re-appeared,  however,  at  in- 
tervals, and  in  some  places  the  river  expanded  considerably,  flow- 
ing with  a  gentle  current  over  a  fine  sandy  bottom.  Its  medium 
breadth  may  be  stated  at  three  hundred  yards,  which  in  the  rapids 
was  diminished  to  half  that  width.  A  few  miles  farther  down  we 
approached  hills  from  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  feet  high,  running 
in  ranges  nearly  parallel  to  the  river  or  about  N.W.  These  were 
the  first  hills  we  had  seen  in  the  country  that  can  be  said  to  possess 
the  form  of  a  connected  mountain  range,  They  are  in  general  ra- 
ther round-backed,  but  the  outline  is  not  even,  being  interrupted 
by  craggy  eminences  rather  obtusely  conical.  It  is  very  probable 
that  they  are  a  part  of  the  range  upon  which  Hearne  bestowed  the 
name  of  Stony  Mountains. 

We  encamped  on  the  night  of  July  6th  in  lat.  66"  45'  1 1",  lon- 
gitude 115"  42' 23",  and  forty-three  miles  W.b.N.  of  the  Sandy 
River,  at  the  foot  of  the  most  rugged  part  of  the  range,  where  it  i!^ 
washed  by  the  river.  A  high  peak,  which  was  examined  here, 
consisted  of  red  granite  and  sienite,  and  some  large  beds  of  green- 
stone were  also  observed  ;  but  perhaps  all  these  rocks  are  subordi- 
nate to  the  clay-slate  formation,  that  rock  occurring  in  considerable 
quantity  here,  having  a  greenish  colour,  and  continuous  pearly 
lustre.  The  rocks  at  this  spot  appear  to  ue  primitive,  but  they  are 
soon  succeeded  by  others,  which  have  more  the  aspect  of  the  tran- 
sition class.  Seven  miles  further  down  the  river,  at  the  encamp- 
ment of  July  7th,  the  hills  shewed  less  elevation  and  a  more  even 
outline,  with  less  exposed  rock.  That  which  was  observed  consist- 
ed of  a  more  dull  and  earthy  clay  slate. 


.1  ■  hm 


^m- 


V 


h 


;<■'■■ 


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r  1 


470 


APPENDIX. 


A 


Leaving  this  place  on  July  8th,  we  continued  our  course  ciowii 
the  river,  which  flowed  for  some  miles  between  two  ranges  of  hills, 
pretty  even  in  their  outline,  and  round-backed,  but  with  rather 
steep  acclivities.     The  immediate  borders  of  the  stream  were  ei- 
ther high  banks  of  fine  sand,  or  steep  gravel  cliffs ;  and  sometimes 
in  places  where  the  hills  receded  to  a  little  distance,  the  interven- 
ing space  was  occupied  by  nigh  sandy  ridges,  apparently  the  an- 
cient banks  of  the  river.     We  now  approached  a  range  of  hills 
which  were  visible  from  yesterday's  encampment,  and  which  in 
form  bore  a  considerable  rest mblance  to  those  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Point  Lake,  but  havmg  more  the  appearance  of  a  connected 
range.     We  had  no  opportunity  of  examining  these  hills,  but  judg- 
ing from  the  analogous  forms  of  those  at  Point  lake,  we  infer  that 
they  consist  of  clay  slate,  hurnblendic  gneiss,  and  granite,  connect- 
ed with  rocks  of  the  transition  series.     The  Copper-Mine  River 
runs  to  the  westward  in  a  tortuous  course  along  the  foot  of  this 
range,  until  it  succeeds  in  effecting  a  passage  through  it  in  116"  31' 
west  longitude.     At  this  place,  accord  ng  to  Indian  account,  the 
Bear  Lake  approaches  nearest  to  the  Copper-Mine  River,   the 
breadth  of  the  height  of  land  between  them  not  exceedmg  thirty  or 
forty  miles.     Below  this  spot,  which  is  marked  by  the  influx  of  a 
small  stream,  the  .iver  absumes  a  northerly  course,  and  becoming 
much  narrower   and  more    rapid,  passes   betwixt  high   but  even 
ranges  of  round-backed  hills,  beiwten  which  and  the  water  there 
are  interposed  high  and  steeply-rounded  banks  of  a  clayey  soil,  well 
covered  with  trees.        * 

The  beds  of  the  Mountain  Torrents,  which  open  into  the  river 
here,  contain  many  fragments  of  a  dark  red  sandstone,  which  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  the  old  red  sandstone  formation  occurs  in  these 
mountains.  The  river  contracting  to  the  width  of  a  hundred  and 
twenty  yards,  at  length  forces  itself  through  the  Rocky  Defile^  a 
narrow  channelwhich  it  has  cut  during  a  lapse  of  ages  in  the  shelv- 
ing foot  of  a  hill.  The  channel  is  bounded  by  perpendicular  rocky 
walls,  varying-  in  height  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  above 
which  there  is  imposed  an  immense  body  of  fine  sand.  The  form  of 
the  land  would  lead  one  to  suppose,  that  the  river  at  some  distant 
period,  pent  in  by  the  rock,  formed  a  long  narrow  lake,  whose  su- 
perfluous waters  were  discharged  by  a  magnifirent  cascade— an 
opinion  which  is  countenanced  by  the  figures  of  the  sandy  ridges, 
which  rise  immediately  above  the  rapid  to  the  height  of  five  hun- 
dred or  six  hundred  feet.  The  walls  of  the  rapid  consist  of  a  very 
dark  purplish-red  compact  felspar  rock.  It  probably  belongs  to 
the  old  red  sandstone  formation,  and  seems  to  rest  upon  or  to  alter- 
nate with  a  rock,  which  seems  to  be  a  variety  of  the  old  red  sand- 
stone, and  which  is  composed  of  light-reddish  and  greyish  felspar 
and  quartz,  the  former  indistinctly  crystallized.  This  latter  rock 
is  every  where  exposed  in  the  bed  of  the  river  for  ten  or  twelve 


OEOGNOSTICAL    OBSEKVATIOKS. 


471 


miles  below  the  rapid.     For  this  space  the  river  flows  about  three 
hundred  feet  below  the  level  of  a  sandy  plain,  which  is  bounded  to 
the  westward  at  a  considerable  distance,  by  a  continuation  of  the 
range  of  hills  through  which  the  river  forces  itself  at  the  Bear- 
Lake  Portage,  and  to  the  eastward  and  northward  by  a  lofty  ridge 
of  trap  rocks,  which  constitute  the  famous  Copper  Mountains. 
The  surface  of  these  plains  is  variegated  by  some  small  conical 
sandy  eminences,  and  ornamented  by  clumps  of  moderately  large 
spruce  trees  (thirty  feet  high),  amongst  which  the  River  Mouse 
winds,  and  falls  into  the  Copper-Mine  River  from  the  westward. 
In  the  beds  of  the  torrents  that  intersect  the  plains,  there  are  found 
fragments  of  reddish-grey  granular  foliated  limestone,  of  deep  red 
sandstone,  of  grey  sandstone  composed  of  grey  quartz  and  felspar, 
probably  a  variety  of  the  preceding  and  of  red  sienite,  all  mem- 
bers, perhaps,  of  the  old  red  aandsione  formation,  or  that  which 
lieb  under  coal,  and  occasionally  alternates  with  transition  rocks. 
There  occur  also  fragments  of  pale  red  sandstone,  composed  prin- 
cipally of  quartz,  and  a  little  felspar  with  imbedded  circular  con- 
cretions of  quartz ;  and  of  greyish-white  quartzose  sandstone,  with 
imbedded  portions  of  the  pale-red  kind,  both  of  which  probably 
belong  to  the  new  red  sandstone  formation.     Fragments  were  also 
found  of  dark-greeny  felspathose  trap,  coloured  by  hornblende,  of 
greenstone,  of  dark-flesh  red  felspar  in  granular  concretions,  with 
imbedded  patches  of  hornblende,  of  red  felspar,  associated  with 
hornblende,  and  passing  to  greenstone;  and  of  red  felspar  partly 
coloured  with  hornblende,  and  containing  amygdaloidal  portions  of 
prehnite,  most  of  which  belong  to  the  trafi  formation,  connected 
with  the  new  red  sandstone.     Many  pretty  large  masses  also  occur 
of  a  compact  wine-yellow  limestone,  resembling  conchoidal  horn- 
stone,  having  a  flat  conchoidal  fracture,  and  alternating  with  thin 
layers  of  flint  inclining  to  flinty  slate.     This  stone  is  precisely 
similar  to  some  of  the  more   compact  varieties  of  the  limestone 
near  Cumberland-House,  although  in  the  latter  situation  we  never 
observed  it  associated  with  flinty  slate. 

The  Copper  Mountains  consist  principally  of  trap  rocks  which 
seem  to  be  imposed  upon  the  new  red  sandstone  or  the  floelz  iime- 
stone  which  covers  it.  A  short  way  below  the  influx  of  the  Mouse, 
the  Copper-Mine  River  washes  the  base  of  some  bluish-grey  clay- 
stone  cliffs,  having  a  somewhat  slaty  structure,  dipping  to  the  north 
at  an  angle  of  20**. 

The  Copper  Mountains  appear  to  form  a  range  running  S.E. 
and  N.W.  The  great  mass  of  rock  in  the  mountains  seems  to 
consist  of  felspar  in  various  conditions;  sometimes  in  the  form  ol 
felspar  rock  or  claystone,  sometimes  coloured  by  hornblende,  and 
approaching  to  greenstone,  but  most  generally  in  the  form  of  dark 
reddish-brown  amygdaloid.  The  amygdaloidal  masses,  contained 
in  the  amygdaloid,  are  either  entirely  pistacite,  or  pislacite  enclos- 
ing calc-spar.     Scales  of  native  copper  are  very  j^tiierally  dissemi- 


mi 


% 


472 


APPENDIX. 


nated  through  this  rock,  through  a  species  of  trap  tufl'  which  ncarly 
rescfnbled  it,  and  also  through  a  reddish  sandstone  on  which  it  ap- 
pears to  rest.  When  the  felspar  assumed  the  appearance  of  a  slaty 
clay-stone,  which  it  did  towards  the  base  of  the  mountains  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  we  observed  no  copper  in  it.  The  rough,  and 
in  general  rounded  and  more  elevated  parts  of  the  mountain,  arc 
composed  of  the  amygdaloid;  but  between  the  emitxences 'there  oc- 
cur many  narrow  and  deep  valleys,  which  are  bouided  by  perpen- 
dicular mural  precipices  of  greenstone.  It  is  in  these  valleys^ 
amongst  the  loose  soil,  that  the  Indians  search  for  copper.  Amongst 
the  specimens  we  picked  up  in  these  valleys,  were  plates  of  native 
copper ;  masses  of  pistacitc  containing  native  copper ;  of  trap  rock 
with  associated  native  copper,  green  malachite,  copper  glance  or 
variegated  copper  ore  and  iron-shot  copper  green,  of  greenish-grey 
prehnite  in  trap,  (the  trap  is  felspar  deeply  coloured  with  horn- 
blende,) with  disseminated  native  copper;  the  copper,  in  some 
specimens,  was  crystallized  in  rhomboidal  dodecahedrons.  Wc 
also  found  some  large  tabular  fragments,  evidently  portions  or  a 
vein  consisting  of  prehnite,  associated  with  calcareous  spar,  and 
native  copper.  The  Indians  dig  wherever  they  observe  the  preh- 
nite lying  on  the  soil,  experience  having  taught  them  that  the 
largest  pieces  of  copper  are  found  associated  with  it.  We  did  not 
observe  the  vein  in  its  original  repository,  noi  does  it  appear  that 
the  Indians  have  found  it,  but  judging  from  the  specimens  just 
mentioned,  it  most  probably  traverses  felspathose  trap.  We  also 
picked  up  some  fragments  of  a  greenish-grey  coloured  rock,  ap- 
parently sandstone,  with  disseminated  variegated  copper  ore  and 
copper  glance;  likewise  rhomboidal  fragments  of  white  calcareous 
spar,  and  some  rock  crystals.  The  Indians  report  that  they  have 
found  copper  in  every  part  of  this  range,  which  they  have  examin- 
ed for  thirty  or  forty  miles  to  the  N. W.,  and  that  the  Esquimaux 
come  hither  to  search  for  that  metal.  We  afterwards  found  some 
ice  chisels  in  possession  of  the  latter  people  twelve  or  fourteen 
inches  long,  and  half  an  inch  in  diameter,  formed  of  pure  copper. 

To  the  northward  of  the  Copper  Mountains,  at  the  distance  of 
ten  miles,  in  a  direct  line,  a  similar  range  of  trap  hills  occurs,  hav- 
ing, however,  less  altitude.  The  intermediate  country  is  uneven, 
but  not  hilly,  and  consists  of  a  deep  sandy  soil,  which,  when  cut 
through  by  the  rivulets,  discloses  extensive  beds  of  light-brownish 
red  sandstone,  which  appears  to  belong  to  the  new  r  '  sandstone 
formation.  The  same  rock  having  a  thin  slaty  structure,  and  dip- 
ping to  the  northward,  forms  perpendicular  walls  to  the  river, 
whose  beds  lie  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  the  level  of  the  plain. 
The  eminences  in  the  plain  are  well  clothed  with  grass,  and  free 
from  the  large  loose  stones  so  common  on  the  Barren  Grounds,  but 
the  ridges  of  trap  are  nearly  destitute  of  vegetation. 

Beyond  the  last-mentioned  trap  range  which  is  about  twenty 
miles  from  the  sea,  the  country  becomes  still  more  level,  the  same 


\f 


GEOGNOSTICAL    OBSERVATIONS. 


473 


nearly 
J  it  ap  - 
a  slaty 
on  the 
jh,  and 
lin,  arc 
ere  oc- 
perpen- 
valleys, 
mongst 
f  native 
ap  rock 
ance  or 
ish-grey 
th  horn- 
in  some 
IS.      Wo 
ions  oi  a 
ipar,  and 
he  preh- 
that  the 
e  did  not 
;)ear  that 
lens  just 
We  also 
rock,  ap- 
ore  and 
dcareous 
hey  have 
exam  in - 
quimaux 
nd  some 
fourteen 
copper, 
stance  of 
urs,  hav- 
uneven, 
hen  cut 
rownish 
andstone 
and  dip- 
he  river, 
|he  plain, 
and  free 
nds,  but 

twenty 
Ihe  same 


kind  of  sandstone  continuing  as  a  subsoil.  The  plains  nourish  only 
a  coarse  short  grass,  and  the  trees  which  had  latterly  dwindled  to 
small  clumps,  growing  only  on  low  points  on  the  edge  of  the  river 
under  shelter  of  the  high  bank,  entirely  disappear.  A  few  ranges 
of  trap  hills  intersect  this  plain  also,  but  they  have  much  less  ele- 
vation than  those  we  passed  higher  up  the  stream. 

The  river  in  its  section  of  the  plain,  as  far  as  Bloody  Fall,  pre- 
sents alternately  cliffs  of  reddish  sandstone,  and  red-coloured  slaty 
indurated  clay  or  marl,  and  shelving  white  clay  banks.  At  Bloody 
Fall,  the  stream  cuts  through  a  thick  bed  of  dark  purplish  red  fel- 
spar rock,  similar  to  that  observed  at  the  Rocky  Defile,  and  associ- 
ated as  at  that  place,  with  a  rock  composed  principally  of  light  red 
felspar  and  quartz,  but  which  is  probably  a  species  of  red  secondary 
granite.  At  the  Bloody  Fall,  the  felspar  rock  is  covered  to  the 
depth  of  six  or  seven  hundred  feet  with  a  bed  of  greyish  white,  and 
rather  tenacious  clay,  which  being  deeply  intersected  with  ravines, 
forms  steep  hills.  Nearer  the  sea,  the  river  is  bounded  by  very 
steep  cliffs  of  yellowish-white  sand;  and  on  the  sea-coast,  the  above- 
mentioned  red  granite  re-appears  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river, 
forming  a  rugged  ridge  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high. 

The  islands  that  we  observed  in  the  Arctic  Sea  are  uniformly 
rocky,  and  generally  bounded  with  mural  precipices  of  trap  rocks, 
clinkstone  or  claystone,  which  have  a  surprising  uniformity  of  ap- 
pearance. The  main  shore,  however,  presents  some  diversity. 
For  sixty  miles  eastward  of  the  Copper-Mine  River,  the  beach  is 
loW)  shelving,  and  gravelly,  and  the  ground  in  the  interior  has  a 
gentle  rise  and  even  outline.  Towards  Tree  River,  however,  the 
trap  rocks  re-appearing  form  an  exceedingly  sterile  and  rocky 
coast.  The  cliffs  of  the  islands  on  which  we  landed  were  compos- 
ed of  greenstone,  dark  brown  claystone,  porphyry,  and  perhaps  of 
basalt,  but  of  the  occurrence  of  the  last-mentioned  rock  we  are  not 
quite  certain.  Three  or  four  miles  to  the  westward  of  Port  Ep- 
worth,  a  steep  promontory  is  formed  of  a  rock  which  is  composed 
of  red  felspar,  quartz,  and  is  a  variety  of  the  secondary  granite  al- 
ready mentioned.  At  Port  Epworth,  the  country  is  exceedingly 
sterile ;  one  cliff  rising  above  another  with  stony  valleys  between, 
almost  destitute  of  herbage.  The  rocks  observed  here  were  liver- 
brown  clinkstone  porphyry,  with  a  few  beds  of  earthy  greenstone. 
The  same  formation  extended  to  the  mouth  of  Wentzel's  River, 
the  trap  cliffs  succeeding  each  other  with  tiresome  uniformity,  and 
their  debris  entirely  covering  the  narrow  valleys  that  intervene  to 
the  exclusion  of  all  vegetation.  None  of  the  rivers  on  this  part  of 
the  coast  bring  down  any  drift  timber.  To  the  eastward  of  Went- 
zel's River,  the  coast  running  out  forms  Cape  Barrow.  We  round- 
ed this  large  projection  in  thick  foggy  weather,  which  permitted 
us  to  have  a  very  indistinct  view  of  the  shore ;  but  we  landed  on 
several  parts  near  the  pitch  of  the  cape,  and  found  the  rocks  to 
'.onsist  of  a  beautiful  admixture  of  red  and  grey  granite,  forming 

3  O  . 


.K 


H 

Vf 


i. 


I 


I 


•A 


474 


APPENDIX. 


\ 


very  steep  craggy,  and  acute  peaks,  rising  abruptly  from  the  water 
to  the  height  of  one  thousand  five  hundred  feet.  The  granite  is 
traversed  by  large  veins  of  red  felspar  running  from  N.  to  S.,  in- 
tersected at  right  angles  by  smaller  veins.  In  one  or  two  places, 
the  larger  veins  were  filled  with  greenstone.  The  granite  hills 
terminate  abruptly,  or  recede  from  the  coast  at  Detention  Harbour, 
and  give  place  to  much  less  elevated  strata  of  gneiss,  enclosing 
some  beds  of  red  granite.  A  vein  of  galena  was  traced  for  two 
hundred  yards,  running  through  the  gneiss  at  Galena  Point.  This 
vein,  about  two  inches  in  diameter,  was  entirely  filled  with  galena, 
iivithout  the  slightest  appearance  of  any  sparry  substance.  A  few 
miles  to  the  eastward  of  Galena  Point,  the  gneiss  recedes  from  the 
shore,  and  appears  to  enter  into  the  composition  of  a  ridge  which 
runs  nearly  in  a  straight  line  until  it  is  cut  by  Hood's  River,  about 
fifteen  miles  above  its  mouth.  On  the  western  point  of  Moore's 
Bay,  there  is  a  precipice  of  indurated  iron-shot  slaty  clay.  The 
promontory  which  forms  the  east  side  of  the  same  bay  is  formed  of 
trap  rocks  and  claystone  porphyry,  whose  mural  precipices  consti- 
tute the  sides  of  very  narrow  valleys  that  open  at  each  end  to  the 
sea.  Several  species  of  carex  grow  in  these  wet  and  spongy 
valleys,  on  which  account  the  rein-deer  seem  to  resort  to  them. 
Very  few  lichens  were  observed.  Some  small  fragments  were 
found  amongst  the  debris  of  the  porphyry,  containing  copper  green 
and  scales  of  native  copper. 

From  Moore's  Bay  to  the  entrance  of  Arctic  Sound,  an  iron-shot 
clinkstone  porphyry  prevails,  having  a  columnar  appearance.  The 
eastern  shore  of  Arctic  Sound,  rising  gently  towards  the  ridge  of 
gneiss  lately  mentioned,  is  covered  with  grass,  and  presents  little 
or  no  naked  rock ;  but  on  Banks's  Peninsula,  the  clinkstone  por- 
phyry re-appears  along  with  an  earthy-looking  greenstone,  forming, 
as  usual,  parallel  ranges  of  mural  precipices. 

On  the  eastern  point  of  Brown's  Passage,  the  strata  consist  of 
light  red  sandstone  dipping  slightly  to  the  westward,  succeeded  by 
bluish-grey  slate  clay,  and  having  lofty  cliffs  of  greenstone,  iron- 
shot  amygdaloid  and  trap  tuff  superimposed.  On  Barry's  Island, 
-which  lies  off  this  part  of  the  coast,  the  rocks  consist  of  trap  rocks, 
forming  cliffs  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  high,  super- 
imposed on  thick  beds  of  indurated  clay  or  marl,  variously  colour- 
ed red  or  grey  in  thin  horizontal  strata.  On  the  northern  extremity 
of  the  island,  there  is  a  red  amygdaloidal  rock  which  contains  many 
beautiful  pebbles,  and  some  imbedded  masses  of  jasper.  Most  of 
the  pebbles  are  composed  of  concentric  layers  of  calcedony  with 
drusy  cavities,  but  some  of  them  approach  nearly  to  pure  carne- 
lian. 

Near  the  encampment  of  August  3,  a  dark  red  cliff,  probably  of 
claystone  porphyry,  is  intersected  by  a  vein  several  yards  thick  of 
a  bluish-white  substance.  The  vein  made  an  angle  of  forty-five 
with  the  horizon,  and  was  seen  at  a  considerable  distance.    We  had 


-* 


f 


GEOGNOSTICAL    OBSERVATIONS. 


475 


water 
lite  is 
5.,  in- 
tlaccs, 
;  hills 
rbour, 
closing 
jr  two 
This 
galena) 

A  few 
om  the 
;  which 
,  about 
yloore's 
.  The 
rmed  of 

consti- 
d  to  the 

spongy 
o  then). 
Its  were 
er  green 

ron-shot 
e.  The 
ridge  of 
nts  little 
ne  por- 
forming, 

|onsist  of 
seded  by 
Ine,  iron- 
Is  Island, 
|p  rocks, 
t,  super- 
colour- 
ttremity 
Ins  many 
Most  of 
)ny  with 
|e  carne- 

)bably  of 

thick  of 

forty -five 

1  We  had 


r.o  opportunity  of  examining  it.  Nearly  opposite  to  this,  near  Sir 
James  Gordon's  Bay  and  Tinney's  Cove,  some  portions  of  the 
sandstone  strata,  of  a  reddish-grey  colour,  have  a  beautiful  por- 
phyritic  appearance  from  imbedded  pieces  of  white  quartz,  mostly 
quadrangular,  and  about  an  inch  in  diameter.  Other  portions  of 
the  rock  had  none  of  these  imbedded  pieces. 

Between  this  spot  and  the  mouth  of  Back's  River,  the  eastern 
shore  of  Bathurst's  Inlet  consists  of  gneiss,  with  beds  of  granite, 
forming  a  continued  range  of  hills  rising  pretty  steeply  from  the 
water  to  the  height  of  five  or  six  hundred  feet. 

In  Sir  James  Gordon's  Bay,  the  strata  consist  chiefly  of  light 
ted  and  greyish  sandstone,  still  of  the  new  red  sandstone  formation, 
with  trap  rocks  generally  greenstone.  To  the  northward  of  Fowler's 
Bay,  the  gneiss  re-appear^  containing  beds  of  granite  and  hom- 
blendic  gneiss.  In  one  spot  near  Point  Evritt,  hexagonal  crystals 
of  hornblende,  some  of  them  above  a  foot  long,  occur,  imbedded 
in  the  gneiss.  Most  of  the  crystals  were  contaminated  with  scales 
of  mica.  The  islands  in  the  oifing  consist,  as  usual,  of  floetz  trap, 
or  porphyry ;  and  on  the  north  side  of  Buchan's  Bay,  the  new  red 
iiandstone  re-appears,  having  a  fine  grain  and  light-red  colour. 
Cape  Croker  is  composed  of  red  sandstone,  whose  debris  form  a 
tihelving  and  utterly  barren  shore. 

The  northern  shore  of  Melville  Soui)d  has  a  barren  clayey  soil, 
which,  when  washed  away,  exposes  strata  of  greyish-white  sand- 
stone, associated  with  or  passing  into  a  slaty  clay.  A  few  cliffs  of 
greenstone  or  claystone  porphyry,  superimposed  on  the  flat  strata, 
presented  from  the  opposite  coast  as  we  entered  the  sound,  the  ap- 
pearance of  islands.  Had  the  intermediate  low  land  been  visible, 
a  tedious  circumnavigation  of  the  sound  would  have  been  spared. 
The  coast  presented  the  same  appearance  as  far  as  Point  Turna- 
gain. 

The  horizontal  strata  consisted  of  a  kind  of  greyish-blue  slaty 
clay,  much  impregnated  with  quartz,  and  passing  into  the  new  red 
sandstone.  Cliffs  of  greenstone,  porphyry  slate,  or  red  amygdaloid, 
were  frequently  imposed  on  the  clay.  At  Slate  Clay  Point,  on 
the  eastern  side  of  Walker's  Bay,  the  layers  of  the  indurated 
slate  clay  were  disposed  in  a  concentric  manner,  so  as  to  form 
large  globular  concretions.  The  outer  layers  of  the  concretions 
running  insensibly  into  each  other. 

Having  now  enumerated,  as  distinctly  as  circumstances  would 
permit,  the  rocks  we  had  an  opportunity  of  observing  on  the  coast, 
we  may  state  that  the  new  red  sandstone  formation  seems  to  pre- 
vail. All  the  islands  visited  were  formed  of  trap  or  porphyry  be- 
longing to  that  formation,  and  judging  from  similarity  of  form,  the 
rocks  of  the  other  islands  belong  to  the  same  class.  The  gneiss 
formation  is  next  in  extent,  and  indeed  it  appears  to  run  nearly 
parallel  to  the  coast  within  the  red  sandstone  from  Cape  Barrow 
across  Hood's  River  above  Wilberforce  Falls  to  the  bottom  of  Ba- 


ift^m 


■  il 


»■ 


476 


APPENDIX. 


N 


thurst's  Inlet,  and  from  thence  to  Hope's  Bay,  on  the  western  &ide 
of  Melville  Sound.  The  only  foreign  beds  we  observed  in  the 
gneiss  were  granite,  perhaps  quartz  rock,  and  hornblendic  gneiss, 
or  sienite.  We  saw  no  clay  or  mica  slate,  nor  did  we  observe  any 
formations  intermediate  between  the  gneiss  and  new  red  sand- 
stone ;  nor  except  at  Cape  Barrow,  where  granite  predominates, 
any  other  formation  than  the  two  just  mentioned.  Our  opportuni- 
ties for  observation,  however,  were  not  extensive,  the  necessity  of 
proceeding  without  delay  limiting  our  geognostical  and  botanical 
excursions  to  the  short  period  that  was  required  to  prepare  break- 
fast or  supper. 

From  Point  Turnagain,  we  proceeded  to  Hood's  River,  and  trac- 
ed it  for  some  distance.  The  river,  at  its  mouth,  is  from  one  to 
three  hundred  yards  wide,  and  is  bounded  by  steep  and  high  banks 
of  clay,  reposing  on  flcetz  rocks,  which  occasionally  shew  them- 
selves. At  the  first  rapid,  in  lat.  67**  19'  23",  a  bed  of  reddish  secon- 
dary granite  crosses  the  stream.  At  the  second  rapid,  in  lat.  67*^ 
12'  14",  and  in  other  places,  the  rocks  consist  mostly  of  the  red 
indurated  slaty  clay,  or  the  red  amygdaloid,  which  we  often  saw 
on  the  coast  associated  with  the  new  red  sandstone.  Six  or  seven 
miles  higher  up,  at  Wilberforce's  Falls,  the  river  makes  a  descent 
of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  into  achasm, whose  walls  consist 
of  light-red  felspathose  sandstone,  belonging  most  probably  to  the 
old  red  sandstone  formation,  or  that  which  lies  under  coal,  and  oc- 
casionally alternates  with  transition  rocks. 

The  gneiss  formation  appears  a  short  distance  above  these  falls, 
producing  hills  precisely  similar  in  character  to  those  about  Fort 
Enterprize.     After  quitting  Hood's  River,  and  ascending  out  of 
the  valley  through  which  it  flows,  we  entered  upon  an  even  clayey 
and  very  barren  country,  interspersed  with  shallow  lakes.     This 
plain  continued  nearly  to  Craycroft's  River,  when  the  gneiss  re-ap- 
peared, presenting  the  genuine  barren  ground  hills  and  precipices, 
together  with   their   vegetable  associates,   ce7iomyce  rangiferina, 
cetraria  nivalis^  cucullata  and    islandica,  cornicularia  ochrileuca, 
dufourea  arctica^  crbutus  al/iinoj  rhododendron  lafifiofiicufn,  and 
em/ietrum  nigrum,  plants  which  seem  to  characterize  the  Barren 
Grounds.     This  formation  continues  without  any  essential  change 
of  aspect,  but  with  some  occasional  difierences  in  the  altitude  of 
its  hills,  until  it  unites  with  the  Fort  Enterprize  district  at  Obstruc- 
tion Rapid,  between  Providence  and  Point  Lakes.  Its  hills  assume 
the  form  of  ranges  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Congecathewachaga 
and  Rum  Lakes.     It  is  to  be  observed!,  however,  that  we  travelled 
over  this  district  when  the  ground  was  deeply  covered  with  snow  ; 
and  when  circumstances  were  not  favourable  either  for  observing 
or  recording  the  appearances  of  the  rocks,  with  sufficient  accuracy 
for  drawing  up  a  geognostical  accoutit  of  them  at  a  future  period 
We  shall  now  proceed  to  ofier  a  few 


f 


m-- 


GE0GN08TICAL    OBSERVATIONS. 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS. 


477 


The  observations  of  Werner,  Humboldt,  Von  Bucli,  Saussurc, 
Ebcl,  and  Daubuisson,  in  many  districts  in  the  continent  of  Europe 
and  in  America,  and  by  Jameson  in  Scotland,  shew  that  the  gene- 
ral direction  of  the  primitive  and  transition  strata,  is  nearly  from 
N.E.  to  S.W.  It  is,  therefore,  interesting  to  find,  that  the  gene- 
ral result  of  my  notes  on  the  positions  of  these  rocks  which  we 
traced  (except  in  a  few  instances  when  our  route  lay  to  the  west- 
ward of  their  boundary)  through  twelve  degrees  of  latitude,  also 
gives  N.E.  and  S.W.  as  the  average  direction  of  their  strata. 

The  strata  of  the  two  classes  of  rocks  just  mentioned,  were 
always  more  or  less  inclined  to  the  horizon,  the  mean  angle  consi- 
derably exceeding  45°.  Their  dip  was  sometimes  to  the  cast,  some- 
times to  the  west. 

These  rocks  exhibited  the  same  varieties  of  structure,  that  they 
do  in  other  extensive  tracts  of  country.  In  general,  the  slaty  struc- 
ture was  parallel  to  the  direction  of  the  strata,  as  in  gneiss,  mica- 
slate,  clay-slate,  8cc.  When  the  waved  structure  made  its  appear- 
ance, it  was  sometimes  conformable  with  the  seams  of  stratification, 
as  was  very  often  noticed  in  the  transition  clay-slate  of  the  Copper- 
Mine  River;  or  it  was  entirely  independent  of  these,  and  then  it 
was  very  irregular  in  its  direction.  The  afifiarently-confused  ar- 
rangements of  structure  of  clay-slate  and  other  slaty  rocks,  more 
particularly  observed  at  the  magnetic  islet  in  Knee  Lake,  and  on 
Point  Lake,  proved,  on  a  more  extended  and  accurate  examination, 
to  be  caused  by  the  arrangement  of  the  mass  of  strata  into  vari- 
ously-formed distinct  concretions,  in  many  of  which  the  direction 
of  the  slaty  structure  was  under  very  different  angles,  and  in  very 
different  directions.  In  short,  in  these  apparently-disturbed  strata 
we  had,  though  on  a  great  scale,  the  same  beautiful  arrangement 
that  occurs  in  the  rock  named  by  Werner,  "  Topaz  Rock."  Indepen- 
dent of  these  various  structures  observable  in  individual  strata,  we 
remarked  that  the  strata  themselves,  whatever  their  structure 
might  be,  werei.cither  variously  waved  or  quite  straight  in  their  di- 
rection. 

The  general  forms,  connexions,  and  distributions  of  the  moun- 
tains, hills,  and  plains,  in  the  tracts  we  traversed,  and  of  the  cliffs 
on  the  coast  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  were  nearly  the  same  that  geologist*; 
have  remarked  as  characterizing  similar  rocks,  similarly  circum- 
stanced in  other  quarters  of  the  globe. 

Granite  with  sienite,  gneiss,  mica-slate,  and  clay-slate,  which 
some  geologists  consider  to  be  the  predominating  primitive  rocks, 
occur  in  all  their  usual  relations;  of  these  the  gneiss  appears  to  be 
the  most  extensively  distributed,  and  to  be  always  attended  with  n 
very  seamy  vegetation.  Granite  is  the  next  in  frequency,  then 
mica-slate,  and  the  least  abundant  arc  the  cU^y-slate  and  p»ctog:irp. 


\ 


i 


n\ 


-s 


il 


^/ 


/ 


478 


APPKNDIX. 


*^!  P  J 


The  granite  is  generally  of  a  red  colour,  and  vunes  lioni  course  to 
bmall  granular.  The  loose  blocks  of  stone,  which  crown  the  sum- 
jnitit  of  almost  all  the  hills  in  the  Barren  iiroiinda^  are  generally 
of  this  latter  variety.  Of  the  gneiss  there  are  two  varieties,  the 
one  red  and  the  other  grey.  The  mica-slate,  clay-slate,  and  sienite, 
•iresent  the  common  varieties.  The  protoglne  granite,  of  which 
there  is  considerable  abundance  in  Slave  River,  and  in  some  other 
quarters,  appears  to  belong  to  the  mica-slate  formations. 

These  primitive  rocks  are  traversed  by  veins  of  fulspar,  quartz, 
and  granite;  and  the  granite  of  Cape  Barrow  was  also  intersected 
by  veins  of  augite  greenstone  of  the  same  description  with  those 
met  with  in  the  granite  districts  of  Great  Britain.  The  occurrenco 
of  the  vein  of  galena,  at  Galena  Point,  is  an  interesting  fact,  as 
connected  with  the  geographical  distribution  of  that  important  ore. 
The  Esquimaux,  that  frequent  the  shores  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  make 
their  culinary  utensils  of  potstone,  but  we  did  not  discover  the 
place  from  whence  they  obtained  it. 

The  transition  roclcs  were  observed  in  sitUy  only  on  Point  Lake, 
on  the  Copper-Mine  River,  and,  perhaps,  at  Wilberforce  Falls  on 
Hood's  River,  and  as  far  as  our  observations  extended,  afforded 
neither  limestone  nor  lydian  stone.  None  of  the  transition  slate 
that  we  examined  contained  chiastolite;  and  if  any  beds  or  imbed- 
ded masses  of  glance  coal  existed,  they  escaped  our  notice.  The 
transition  rocks  being  principally  clay-slate  and  grey  wacke,  bore 
a  strong  resemblance  to  those  in  Dumfries-shire,  my  native  county. 
The  secondary  formations,  if  examined  by  travellers  more  fortu- 
nately situated  than  we  were,  will  doubtless  exhibit  many  curious 
and  highly-important  relations.  The  facts  already  stated,  shew 
that  the  following  formations  of  this  class  occurred  on  or  near  the 
line  of  our  journey. 

First,  The  old  red  sandstone,  or  that  which  lies  under  coal,  and 
occasionally  alternates  with  transition  rocks.  This  was  observed 
upon  the  Copper-Mine  River. 

Second,  The  coal  formation,  which  did  not  present  itself  in  the 
direct  line  of  our  route;  but  as  it  is  known  to  occur  in  some  districts 
in  M'Kenzie's  River,  and  also  towards  the  Rocky  Mountains,  placed 
apparently  upon  the  old  red  sandstone,  and  under  the  vast  deposit  of 
secondary  limestone,  it  is  here  mentioned. 

Third,  The  new  red  or  variegated  sandstone.  This  important 
formation  is  of  very  considerable  extent  in  several  of  the  tracts  we 
passed  through,  and  probably  lies  over  an  extensive  deposit  of  the 
coal  formation.  In  some  instances,  where  the  old  red  sandstone 
was  wanting,  it  appeared  to  us  resting  upon  gneiss  and  other  primi- 
tive rocks.  Here,  as  in  other  quarters  of  the  world,  the  new  red 
sandstone  contains  gypsum  and  salt  springs  that  seem  to  issue  from 
it,  implying  that  it  contains  beds  of  salt  or  of  muiialiferous  clay, 
which  aflfbvd  the  impregnating  material  lo  the  Kprings.   The  springs 


N  \ 


The 


}ortant 
icta  we 

of  the 
idstone 
I  primi- 

2w  red 
le  from 
Is  clay, 
]pring% 


oKOGNOSTICAL    OBSERVATIONS. 


47!> 


on  tlic  Slave  River  afford  by  spontaneous  evaporation  during  the 
short  summers,  u  very  large  quantity  of  fine  salt. 

Fourth,  The  secondary  limestone  appears  generally  to  belong  to 
the  vast  deposit  which  lies  above  the  new  red  sandstone  and  under 
chalk,  and  which  is  known  to  form  very  extensive  tracks  of  country, 
not  only  in  other  quarters  of  North  America,  but  also  on  the  con- 
tinent of  Europe  and  in  England.  Some  of  the  varieties  may,  on 
more  minute  examination,  prove  to  belong  to  the  mountain  lime- 
stone of  geologibts. 

Fifth,  The  secondary  trap  and  porphyry  rocks,  which  occur  so 
abundantly  on  the  coast  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  and  throughout  the  whole 
extent  of  the  Copper  Mountains,  are  to  all  appearance  connected 
with  the  new  red  sandstone.  The  frequency  of  native  copper  in 
those  rocks,  both  on  the  Copper  Mountains  and  on  the  sea-coast, 
is  a  very  interesting  feature  in  their  composition,  and  deserves  the 
particular  consideration  of  those  who  make  the  grouping  or  associa- 
tions of  simple  minerals  objects  of  attention.  Many  of  these  trap 
and  porphyry  rocks  prescnied  the  columnar  structure  which  has 
been  considered  as  indicative  of  a  volcanic  origin,  but  their  other 
characters  and  the  horizontal  strata  upon  which  they  reposed  seem- 
ed to  give  them  a  still  greater  claim  to  Neptunian  origin.  Our 
opportunities  of  observation,  however,  were  much  too  limited  to 
permit  us  to  offer  a  decided  opinion  upon  this  disputed  point. 

Alluvial  Defiositfs, — The  extensive  formation  of  these  depositcs 
in  the  line  of  our  journey,  afforded  us  numerous  examples  of  their 
different  kinds.  In  the  preceding  notes,  we  have  alluded  to  exten- 
sive alluvial  formations,  occasioned  by  lakes  which  have  either 
gradually  dried  up,  or  have  burst  suddenly  and  left  their  con- 
cavities more  or  less  deeply  covered  with  sand,  gravel,  and  other 
alluvial  matters.  Other  kmds  have  evidently  had  their  origin  from 
the  action  of  rivers.  Some  formations  on  the  sea-coast  were  oc- 
casioned by  the  conjoined  action  of  the  sea,  and  the  wasting  in- 
fluence of  the  weather.  The  peninsula,  between  Point  Turnagain 
and  Melville  Sound,  is  almost  entirely  composed  of  a  low  flat  of 
this  kind,  a  few  trap  cliffs  appearing  at  considerable  distances  only. 
The  general  wasting  influence  of  the  weather  on  the  more  elevated 
exposed  rocks  throughout  the  country,  has  formed  a  covering  of 
alluvial  matter  of  greater  or  less  depth  to  the  subjacent  rocks, 
which  protects  them  from  the  further  gnawing  effects  of  the  atmos- 
phere. 

With  regard  to  the  large  rolled  blocks  which  are  so  plentifully 
scattered  over  the  surface  of  some  countries,  and  which  have  been 
considered  to  have  been  deposited  by  the  waters  of  the  flood,  we 
have  no  remarks  of  moment  to  make.  During  our  journey  from 
York  Factory  to  Fort  Enterprize,  we  seldom  had  an  opportunity  of 
ascending  out  of  the  valley  of  the  river  through  which  our  route 
lay,  and  any  blocks  of  stone  observed  in  such  a  situation  may  as 
readily  be  supposed  to  have  been  transported  by  the  river  as  by  a 


V 


V 


ui 


•180 


APPENDIX. 


more  general  cause.  On  the  Barren  Grounds,  where  we  adopted 
a  different  style  of  travelling,  the  loose  stones,  which  were  very 
numerous,  even  in  the  most  elevated  situations,  were,  as  far  as  wc 
observed,  similar  to  the  rocks  on  which  they  rested,  and  may  be 
supposed  to  be  the  more  durable  remains  of  the  covering  strata, 
which  have  been  destroyed  by  long-continued  action  of  the  atmos- 
phere. Their  angular  forms  and  their  resting-places,  often  upon 
the  very  summit  of  the  hills,  militate  against  their  having  travelled 
from  a  distance. 

The  very  general,  though  rude,  resemblance  these  blocks  bore  ti) 
large  crystals  is  a  remarkable  circumstance,  and  seems  to  indicate 
a  crystallization  in  the  great  of  the  red  granite,  of  which  they  were 
very  frequently  composed,  and  of  whose  beds  or  strata  they  arc 
perhaps  the  remains. 

We  may  conclude  with  observing,  that  the  preceding  details 
shew  that  in  the  regions  we  traversed,  the  rocks  of  the  primitive, 
transition,  secondary,  and  alluvial  classes  havr  the  same  general 
composition,  structure,  position,  and  distribution,  as  in  other  parts 
of  America  which  have  been  examined ;  and  as  these  agree  in  all 
respects  with  the  rock  formations  in  Europe  and  Asia,  they  may 
with  propriety  be  considered  as  universal  formations,  parts  of  a 
f^rafld  and  harmonious  whole,  the  production  of  infinite  wisdom. 


/ 


adopted 
re  very 
tr  as  wu 
may  be 
r  strata, 
I  atmos- 
;n  upon 
ravelled 

,  bore  tt) 
indicate 
ley  were 
they  art 

r  details 
rimitivc, 
general 
licr  parts 
ree  in  all 
hey  may 
arts  of  a 
isdom . 


AURORA  BOREALIS. 


GENERAL  REMARKS. 


00  few  observations  of  the  Aurora  Borealis  in  high  northern  lati' 
tude  have  been  recorded,  that  I  trust  a  minute  account  of  the  va- 
rious appearances  it  exhibits,  will  not  be  thought  superfluous  or 
\ininteresting.  The  remarks  of  the  late  Lieutenant  Hood  are  co- 
pied verbatim  from  his  journal.  They  speak  sufficiently  for  them- 
selves, to  render  any  eulogium  of  mine  unnecessary.*  To  this  excel- 
lent and  lamented  young  officer,  the  merit  is  due  of  having  been, 

1  believe,  the  first  who  ascertained  by  his  observations  at  Basquiau- 
Hill,  (combined  with  those  of  Dr.  Richardson  at  Cumberland- 
House,)  that  the  altitude  of  the  Aurora  upon  these  occasions  was 
far  inferior  to  that  which  had  been  assigned  to  it  by  any  former 
observer.  He  also,  by  a  skilful  adaptation  of  a  vernier  to  the  gra- 
duated circle  of  a  Kater's  Compass,  enabled  himself  to  read  off*  small 
deviations  of  the  needle,  and  was  the  first  who  satisfactorily  proved, 
by  his  observations  at  Cumberland-House,  the  important  fact  of  the 
action  of  the  Aurora  upon  the  compass-needle.  By  his  ingenious 
Electrometer  invented  at  Fort  Enterprize,  he  seems  also  to  have 
proved  the  Aurora  to  be  an  electrical  phenomenon,  or  at  least  that 
it  induces  a  certain  unusual  state  of  electricity  in  the  atmosphere. 

The  observations  of  Dr.  Richardson,  independent  of  their  merit 
in  other  respects,  point  peculiarly  to  the  Aurora  being  formed  at 
no  great  elevation,  and  that  it  is  dependent  upon  certain  other  at- 
mospheric phenomena,  such  as  the  formation  of  one  or  other  of  the 
various  modifications  of  cirro-stratus. 

With  respect  to  my  own  observations,  they  were  principally  di- 
rected to  the  effects  of  the  Aurora  upon  the  mangetic  needle,  and 
the  connexion  of  the  amount,  &c.,  of  this  effect,  with  the  position 
and  appearance  of  the  Aurora.     I  have  been  anxious  to  confine 

•  The  publishers  of  the  present  edition  of  Franklin's  Narrative  have  been 
induced  to  omit  the  greater  part  of  the  Appendix,  comprising'  Observations 
on  the  Aurora  Borealis,  and  on  the  Magnetic  Needle,  by  Lieutenant  Hood, 
Captain  Franklin,  and  Dr.  Richardson ;  Remarks  and  Tables  connected  with 
Astronomical  Observations ;  a  Zoological  Appendix ;  Notes  of  Fishes,  and  a 
Botanical  Appendix;  from  a  conviction  that  its  contents,  besides  being  un- 
interesting to  the  general  reader,  would  so  greatly  enhance  the  price  of  the 
work  as  effectually  to  retard  its  general  circulation  and  utility. 

3  P 


«... 


/•I 


it 


.yi 


M 


■^sw- 


isa 


AlM'r.NIHX. 


I 


I'/ 


'^m^ 

^»ii 

''■« 


myself  to  a  mere  detail  of  facts,  without  vcnturiiij;  upon  any  theory. 
My  notes  upon  the  appearances  of  tlie  Aurora  coincide  with  those 
of  Dr.  Richardson,  in  proving;,  that  that  phenomenon  is  frequently 
seated  within  the  region  of  the  clouds,  and  that  it  is  dependent,  in 
some  degree,  upon  the  cloudy  state  of  the  atmosphere. 

The  manner  in  which  the  needle  was  aflected  by  the  Aurora  wiiU 
need  some  description.  The  motion  conunuiiicated  to  it  was  nei- 
ther sudden  nor  vibrutory.  Sometimes  it  was  simultaneous  with 
the  formation  of  arches,  prolonj^alion  of  beams,  or  certain  other 
changes  of  form,  or  of  activity  of  the  Aurora;  but  generally  the 
cilect  of  these  phenomena  upon  the  needle,  was  not  visible  immedi- 
ately, hut  in  about  half  an  hour  or  an  hour,  the  needle  had  attained 
id  maximum  of  deviation. 

From  this,  its  return  to  its  former  position  wa*very  gradual,  sel- 
dom regai'ung  it  before  the  following  morning,  and  frequently  npt 
until  the  afternoon,  unless  it  was  expedited  by  another  arch  of  the 
.\urora  operating  in  a  direction  dilVerent  from  the  former  one. 

The  bearings  of  the  terminations  of  the  arches  are  to  be  taken 
with  considerable  allowance.  They  were  estimated  by  the  position 
of  the  Aurora,  with  respect  to  the  sides  of  the  house,  the  angles  of 
which  had  been  previously  determined.  The  bearings  given  in  the 
whole  of  my  observations  refer  to  the  magnetic  meridian,  and  are 
reckoned  from  the  magnetic  north,  towards  the  cast  round  the 
whole  circle,  which,  it  is  conceived,  will  afford  a  means  of  more 
readily  computing  the  horizontal  extent  of  the  arches. 

It  is  to  be  noticed,  that  the  bearings  given  by  Ur.  Richardson 
and  Lieutenant  liood  are  true,  and  not  magnetic. 


I. ,',  '    M 


¥<i' 


^:fi-1 


TiiK  ]:ni:). 


Mi 


pi)iIaDclpl)ia: 

William  Buown,  Printer. 


,«.s 


